Kenro Kusumi
Constructing a family tree for three lizard species collected in Panama at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) and a fourth from the southeastern U.S., scientists at Arizona State University (ASU) compared lizard genomes—their entire DNA code—to those of other animals. The genomes revealed that changes in genes involved in the interbrain (the site of the pineal gland and other endocrine glands), for color vision, hormones and the colorful dewlap that males bob to attract females may contribute to the formation of boundaries between species. Genes regulating limb development also evolved especially quickly.
Photo by Kenro Kusumi
