• Question: What do you think people will find out about your creatures DNA if it is victorious?

    Asked by tekerstrev66 to Abyssal Grenadier, Baltic clam, Brachiopod, Common starfish, Naval Shipworm, Orkney vole, Scottish Crossbill, Snake Pipefish, Twisted-wing fly on 2 Dec 2017.
    • Photo: Common Starfish

      Common Starfish answered on 2 Dec 2017:

      Sequencing the genome of the common starfish will enable discovery of genes encoding proteins involved in lots of amazing biological processes, which include:
      a). the ability lose arms (autotomy)
      b). the ability to regenerate arms
      c). the ability to quickly change the stiffness of their body wall collagenous tissue, under the control of the nervous system
      d). the ability to secrete “sticky” proteins from their tiny tube feet that enable starfish to pull apart the valves of mussels.
      e). the ability to evert their stomach out of their mouth and digest their prey externally

      and much more

      And there is the mystery of mysteries – their five-sidedness – the genetic basis for the pentaradial symmetry of starfish (and other echinoderms) is not understood… to address this issue it may be necessary to sequence the genomes of lots of echinoderm species …

    • Photo: Naval Shipworm

      Naval Shipworm answered on 2 Dec 2017:

      Hopefully how the naval shipworm can digest wood, and then use that information to more successfully make biofuels!

      But there are lots of other interesting things to look at too – how the body plan of these critters is patterned to look like a worm, how it interacts with the bacteria that live inside its body, and probably other things too!

    • Photo: Abyssal Grenadier

      Abyssal Grenadier answered on 4 Dec 2017:

      The abyssal grenadier would be the first deep sea species to be sequenced!! This would help the whole deep sea science community!

      The deep sea is a vastly understudied ecosystem where marine research has been typically restricted to shallower waters. It is a remote and challenging environment but it harbours a vast array of species with really unique adaptions to survive the harsh environment – the abyssal grenadier being one of them. The abyssal grenadier is a good species to study not just for its unique adaptions but also because it lives in all of the worlds ocean. It is less common for one species to have such a wide distribution.

      Full genome sequencing of the abyssal grenadier would allow for exploration into the genes responsible for survival in the extreme environment of the deep sea as well as providing a better understanding of species distribution and how these species cope with environmental stress and anthropogenic changes. A greater understanding of the ecology and evolution of deep-sea species not only expands our scientific knowledge but it also develops a much-needed stewardship of our oceans!

    • Photo: Snake Pipefish

      Snake Pipefish answered on 7 Dec 2017:

      Sequencing the snake pipefish’s DNA will allow us to study the unique form of paternal care (fish male pregnancy!!) displayed by pipefishes, seadragons and seahorses. There’s already a seahorse genome out there so we would be able to compare the 2 begin to understand their differences and similarities and so how their form of care evolved and became more complex over time.

    • Photo: Twisted-wing Fly

      Twisted-wing Fly answered on 8 Dec 2017:

      Mainly what the twisted-wing fly’s closest relative is. A previous study suggested beetles, and ours could confirm or refute the theory – the way good science progresses.

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