By comparing the genetic blueprints of an array of animals, scientists are gaining new insights into our own species and all we share with other creatures.
One of the most striking revelations is that certain passages in the instructions for life have persisted across evolutionary time, representing a through line that binds all mammals — including us.
The findings come from the Zoonomia Project, an international effort that offers clues about human traits and diseases, animal abilities like hibernation and even the genetics behind a sled dog named Balto who helped save lives a century ago.
Researchers shared some of their discoveries in 11 papers published Thursday in the journal Science.
David O’Connor, who studies primate genetics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said the studies tackle deep questions.
“It’s just the wonder of biology, how we are so similar and dissimilar to all the things around us,” said O’Connor, who wasn’t involved in the research. “It’s the sort of thing that reminds me why it’s cool to be a biologist.”
The Zoonomia team, led by Elinor Karlsson and Kerstin Lindblad-Toh at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, looked at 240 species of mammals, from bats to bison. They sequenced and compared their genomes, the instructions organisms need to develop and grow.
They found certain regions of these genomes have stayed the same across all mammal species over millions of years of evolution.
One study found that at least 10% of the human genome is largely unchanged across species. Many of these regions occur outside the 1% of genes that give rise to proteins that control the activity of cells, the main purpose of DNA.
Audrey Jackson, Associated Press
A herd of bison grazes during midday Sept. 27, 2022, at a Cherokee Nation ranch in northeastern Oklahoma.
Researchers theorized that long-preserved regions probably serve a purpose and are likely what they call “regulatory elements” containing instructions about where, when and how much protein is produced. Scientists identified more than 3 million of these in the human genome, about half of which were previously unknown.
Scientists also focused on change within the animal kingdom. When they aligned genetic sequences for species and compared them with their ancestors, Karlsson said, they discovered that some species saw a lot of changes in relatively short periods of time. This showed how they were adapting to their environments.
“One of the really cool things about mammals is that at this point in time, they’ve basically adapted to survive in nearly every single ecosystem on Earth,” Karlsson said.
One group of scientists looked for genes that humans don’t have but other mammals do.
Instead of focusing on new genes that might create uniquely human traits, “we kind of flipped that on its head,” said Steven Reilly, a genetics researcher at Yale University.
“Losing pieces of DNA can actually generate new features,” Reilly said.
For example, he said, a tiny DNA deletion between chimps and humans caused a cascade of changes in gene expression that may be one of the causes of prolonged brain development in humans.
Associated Press
Gunnar Kaasen and his dog Balto, the heroic dogsled team leader, sit for a portrait in the early 1920s.
Another study focused on the fitness of one well-known animal: Balto.
Scientists sequenced the genome of the sled dog, who led a team of dogs carrying a lifesaving diphtheria serum to Nome, Alaska, in 1925. His story was made into a 1995 animated feature film and a statue of the canine stands in New York’s Central Park.
By comparing Balto’s genes to those of other dogs, researchers found he was more genetically diverse than modern breeds and may have carried genetic variants that helped him survive harsh conditions. One of the authors, researcher Katherine Moon of the University of California, Santa Cruz, said Balto “gives us this guide through comparative genomics,” showing how genetics can shape individuals.
O’Connor said he expects Zoonomia to yield even more insights in the future.
“To have these tools and to have the sort of audacity to ask these big questions” helps scientists and others “learn more about life around us,” he said.
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Mountain lions are eating wild donkeys in Death Valley: Why scientists say it’s a good thing
Wildan Al Gifari // Shutterstock
You might be surprised to learn just how much of our world is shaped by animals doing unremarkable things like scratching, digging, eating, and pooping. Especially pooping. These activities are the first in a chain of events that result in highly complex, biodiverse ecosystems.
Certain species, because of their unique skills, food choices, or even size, are ecosystem linchpins—remove them from the equation, and an ecosystem collapses. Without mussels, you might not have clean drinking water. Without forest elephants, atmospheric carbon dioxide would skyrocket. And if you think an otter's appetite for sea urchin doesn't impact your life, think again.
In a world where nature works in concert to stay balanced, human-driven climate change is like a counterweight dropped from the top of a building, threatening more than 1 million species around the world. Humans are responsible for altering nearly 100% of Earth's land-based ecosystems, according to a 2021 study published in Frontiers in Forests and Global Change.
These changes are detrimental to ecosystems on which humankind relies. Now, animals like the beaver, which are all too easy to write off as unexceptional or unimportant from our own perspective, may be among our best hope for climate salvation.
Stacker compiled a list of 10 animals from diverse environments, outlining how each helps sustain its ecosystem.
You may also like: 50 species that no longer exist in the wild
Wildan Al Gifari // Shutterstock
You might be surprised to learn just how much of our world is shaped by animals doing unremarkable things like scratching, digging, eating, and pooping. Especially pooping. These activities are the first in a chain of events that result in highly complex, biodiverse ecosystems.
Certain species, because of their unique skills, food choices, or even size, are ecosystem linchpins—remove them from the equation, and an ecosystem collapses. Without mussels, you might not have clean drinking water. Without forest elephants, atmospheric carbon dioxide would skyrocket. And if you think an otter's appetite for sea urchin doesn't impact your life, think again.
In a world where nature works in concert to stay balanced, human-driven climate change is like a counterweight dropped from the top of a building, threatening more than 1 million species around the world. Humans are responsible for altering nearly 100% of Earth's land-based ecosystems, according to a 2021 study published in Frontiers in Forests and Global Change.
These changes are detrimental to ecosystems on which humankind relies. Now, animals like the beaver, which are all too easy to write off as unexceptional or unimportant from our own perspective, may be among our best hope for climate salvation.
Stacker compiled a list of 10 animals from diverse environments, outlining how each helps sustain its ecosystem.
You may also like: 50 species that no longer exist in the wild
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Mountain lions are eating wild donkeys in Death Valley: Why scientists say it’s a good thing
benny337 // Shutterstock
Beavers are revered as nature's civil engineers, a species capable of altering entire ecosystems with the dams they build. Beavers dam up moving water to create a pond where they take up residence. Upon meeting the obstruction, running water on the opposite side of the dam is diverted to the surrounding land, creating wetlands and attracting new flora and fauna to that ecosystem. While some people, especially farmers, might understandably view this freelance construction as a nuisance, it can be lifesaving in drought-prone areas.
Dams prevent water sources from running too thin and drying up completely. Wetlands created by the overflow quench dry lands that would otherwise be at risk of wildfires. They are so effective at climate-driven drought mitigation that the California Department of Fish and Wildlife has earmarked $3 million for North American beaver habitat restoration so that they may, in turn, cause more good trouble.
benny337 // Shutterstock
Beavers are revered as nature's civil engineers, a species capable of altering entire ecosystems with the dams they build. Beavers dam up moving water to create a pond where they take up residence. Upon meeting the obstruction, running water on the opposite side of the dam is diverted to the surrounding land, creating wetlands and attracting new flora and fauna to that ecosystem. While some people, especially farmers, might understandably view this freelance construction as a nuisance, it can be lifesaving in drought-prone areas.
Dams prevent water sources from running too thin and drying up completely. Wetlands created by the overflow quench dry lands that would otherwise be at risk of wildfires. They are so effective at climate-driven drought mitigation that the California Department of Fish and Wildlife has earmarked $3 million for North American beaver habitat restoration so that they may, in turn, cause more good trouble.
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Mountain lions are eating wild donkeys in Death Valley: Why scientists say it’s a good thing
Nadia Racheva // Shutterstock
Freshwater mussels act as tiny water treatment plants filtering out pollutants like algae and bacteria from rivers and streams. A mussel bed the size of two football fields can filter up to 10 million gallons of water daily—and research in Alaska demonstrates that they do, in fact, get that big. This service keeps their freshwater cohabitants healthy. Mussels themselves can also serve as aquatic ecosystems. When embedded together on the floor of rivers, streams, or lakes, they create a physical structure where good algae can flourish, and fish can feed. As water temperatures rise due to climate change, 70% of all mussels in the U.S. are at serious risk of extinction. Without freshwater mussels, humans and animals would face river pollution and significant changes to freshwater ecosystems.
Nadia Racheva // Shutterstock
Freshwater mussels act as tiny water treatment plants filtering out pollutants like algae and bacteria from rivers and streams. A mussel bed the size of two football fields can filter up to 10 million gallons of water daily—and research in Alaska demonstrates that they do, in fact, get that big. This service keeps their freshwater cohabitants healthy. Mussels themselves can also serve as aquatic ecosystems. When embedded together on the floor of rivers, streams, or lakes, they create a physical structure where good algae can flourish, and fish can feed. As water temperatures rise due to climate change, 70% of all mussels in the U.S. are at serious risk of extinction. Without freshwater mussels, humans and animals would face river pollution and significant changes to freshwater ecosystems.
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Mountain lions are eating wild donkeys in Death Valley: Why scientists say it’s a good thing
Kris Wiktor // Shutterstock
Sea otters are so much more than cute faces and clownish dispositions. They are essential to protecting coastal kelp forests. Adult sea otters eat up to 30% of their body weight (or 25 pounds) each day, feasting on abalone, crabs, clams, and, most importantly, sea urchins. Without sea otters to keep their population in check, urchins can decimate kelp forests, eliminating an underwater ecosystem that is an essential store of carbon dioxide where many other marine species thrive. Coastal ecosystems such as kelp forests remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through photosynthesis and store roughly 20 times more carbon per acre than terrestrial forests. Without sea otters, there would be no kelp; without kelp, carbon sequestration would plummet.
Kris Wiktor // Shutterstock
Sea otters are so much more than cute faces and clownish dispositions. They are essential to protecting coastal kelp forests. Adult sea otters eat up to 30% of their body weight (or 25 pounds) each day, feasting on abalone, crabs, clams, and, most importantly, sea urchins. Without sea otters to keep their population in check, urchins can decimate kelp forests, eliminating an underwater ecosystem that is an essential store of carbon dioxide where many other marine species thrive. Coastal ecosystems such as kelp forests remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through photosynthesis and store roughly 20 times more carbon per acre than terrestrial forests. Without sea otters, there would be no kelp; without kelp, carbon sequestration would plummet.
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Mountain lions are eating wild donkeys in Death Valley: Why scientists say it’s a good thing
miroslav chytil // Shutterstock
Armadillos perform a variety of important ecological functions such as pest control, seed dispersal, and even protection for other species. Like the beaver, the giant armadillo of South America is an ecosystem engineer. The extensive burrows they dig for refuge and bug hunting are utilized by dozens of other species for warmth, foraging, and protection from predators. Even the piles of sand and dirt displaced by armadillos in their burrow excavations are put to use by other species as places to rest or sunbathe. These smaller ecosystems and the biodiversity they bring are integral to the overall health of the larger one in which they exist.
miroslav chytil // Shutterstock
Armadillos perform a variety of important ecological functions such as pest control, seed dispersal, and even protection for other species. Like the beaver, the giant armadillo of South America is an ecosystem engineer. The extensive burrows they dig for refuge and bug hunting are utilized by dozens of other species for warmth, foraging, and protection from predators. Even the piles of sand and dirt displaced by armadillos in their burrow excavations are put to use by other species as places to rest or sunbathe. These smaller ecosystems and the biodiversity they bring are integral to the overall health of the larger one in which they exist.
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Mountain lions are eating wild donkeys in Death Valley: Why scientists say it’s a good thing
Eko Budi Utomo // Shutterstock
Hornbills are frugivores, a species with a diet composed almost exclusively of raw fruit. Some species of hornbills grow to have a 6-foot wingspan. Their size relative to other fruit-eating birds makes them the perfect propagator of plants that bear large fruit. Without the hornbill, orchards of Canarium and Phoebe would not exist. They spread undamaged seeds through their excrement over vast distances as they fly, earning them the moniker of "farmer of the forest." A study published in the Journal of Avian Biology found that hornbill populations can disperse nearly 13,000 seeds per day over an area the size of 184 football fields. Their dispersal fosters ecological prosperity and diversity in tropical forests.
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Eko Budi Utomo // Shutterstock
Hornbills are frugivores, a species with a diet composed almost exclusively of raw fruit. Some species of hornbills grow to have a 6-foot wingspan. Their size relative to other fruit-eating birds makes them the perfect propagator of plants that bear large fruit. Without the hornbill, orchards of Canarium and Phoebe would not exist. They spread undamaged seeds through their excrement over vast distances as they fly, earning them the moniker of "farmer of the forest." A study published in the Journal of Avian Biology found that hornbill populations can disperse nearly 13,000 seeds per day over an area the size of 184 football fields. Their dispersal fosters ecological prosperity and diversity in tropical forests.
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Mountain lions are eating wild donkeys in Death Valley: Why scientists say it’s a good thing
Canva
These giant forest dwellers protect their environment by destroying it—to a degree. As these massive creatures move through dense rainforests, they trample and graze on small trees and thin the vegetation that competes for resources like sunlight and water. Field researchers in the Congo Basin discovered that where forest elephants existed, trees were larger and denser. These kinds of trees are critical to the environment because they store large amounts of carbon. If forest elephants were to vanish tomorrow, 3 billion tons of carbon dioxide would be released—the equivalent output of more than 646,000 gas-powered vehicles over one year, or over 7 trillion miles driven by such vehicles. Forest elephants also help to disperse seeds throughout the forest through their excrement.
Canva
These giant forest dwellers protect their environment by destroying it—to a degree. As these massive creatures move through dense rainforests, they trample and graze on small trees and thin the vegetation that competes for resources like sunlight and water. Field researchers in the Congo Basin discovered that where forest elephants existed, trees were larger and denser. These kinds of trees are critical to the environment because they store large amounts of carbon. If forest elephants were to vanish tomorrow, 3 billion tons of carbon dioxide would be released—the equivalent output of more than 646,000 gas-powered vehicles over one year, or over 7 trillion miles driven by such vehicles. Forest elephants also help to disperse seeds throughout the forest through their excrement.
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Mountain lions are eating wild donkeys in Death Valley: Why scientists say it’s a good thing
Mikadun // Shutterstock
Bison are essential to maintaining the biodiversity of America's grasslands; they do this primarily by eating. Bison create the opportunity for new flora to grow by feeding almost exclusively on grasses that outcompete most other plants for space. Their presence on grasslands doubles plant diversity, according to Konza Prairie Biological Station data. The biodiversity of plant species makes ecosystems more resistant to drought. These regions are rebounding after the species was hunted nearly to extinction by the late 1800s, slaughtered for profit, sport, and as a means to inflict harm on Native Americans who depended on bison. Bison parts could be transformed into 150 different items—including food, clothing, tools, and weapons—that were essential to Native American survival on the Great Plains.
They also shape their environment by scratching. Yes, scratching. Fully-grown male bison can weigh up to 2,000 pounds; adult females can weigh up to 1,200 pounds. When they wallow, or roll on the ground to scratch an itch, their powerful bodies create depressions in the earth. These depressions create a buffer—a bunker of sorts—from the wide open plain where plant and animal species are more guarded from threats.
Mikadun // Shutterstock
Bison are essential to maintaining the biodiversity of America's grasslands; they do this primarily by eating. Bison create the opportunity for new flora to grow by feeding almost exclusively on grasses that outcompete most other plants for space. Their presence on grasslands doubles plant diversity, according to Konza Prairie Biological Station data. The biodiversity of plant species makes ecosystems more resistant to drought. These regions are rebounding after the species was hunted nearly to extinction by the late 1800s, slaughtered for profit, sport, and as a means to inflict harm on Native Americans who depended on bison. Bison parts could be transformed into 150 different items—including food, clothing, tools, and weapons—that were essential to Native American survival on the Great Plains.
They also shape their environment by scratching. Yes, scratching. Fully-grown male bison can weigh up to 2,000 pounds; adult females can weigh up to 1,200 pounds. When they wallow, or roll on the ground to scratch an itch, their powerful bodies create depressions in the earth. These depressions create a buffer—a bunker of sorts—from the wide open plain where plant and animal species are more guarded from threats.
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Mountain lions are eating wild donkeys in Death Valley: Why scientists say it’s a good thing
AB Photographie // Shutterstock
As climate change shortens the length and intensity of winter, gray wolves are mitigating the impacts on scavenger species like bears, coyotes, and certain large birds by increasing their food supply. Milder winters mean an increased survival rate for prey like elk due to lower metabolic exertion and fewer winter stressors, according to findings from a University of California at Berkeley study. Less snow means they won't perish from exhaustion and earlier melt means easier access to food sources. Wolves provide balance by hunting elk and leaving their remains for scavenger species to feed upon.
AB Photographie // Shutterstock
As climate change shortens the length and intensity of winter, gray wolves are mitigating the impacts on scavenger species like bears, coyotes, and certain large birds by increasing their food supply. Milder winters mean an increased survival rate for prey like elk due to lower metabolic exertion and fewer winter stressors, according to findings from a University of California at Berkeley study. Less snow means they won't perish from exhaustion and earlier melt means easier access to food sources. Wolves provide balance by hunting elk and leaving their remains for scavenger species to feed upon.
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Mountain lions are eating wild donkeys in Death Valley: Why scientists say it’s a good thing
Vickey Chauhan // Shutterstock
The world's only scaly mammal, pangolins are integral to maintaining healthy forests by dining on termites. While termites actually help maintain a healthy ecosystem by consuming dead wood and turning it into nutrient-rich organic matter called humus, an unchecked population can overrun a forest. A single pangolin can protect about 31 football fields' worth of forest from termite damage. Pangolins also keep soil healthy and aerated by digging burrows, which aids in decomposition and vegetative regrowth.
Pangolins have been hunted nearly to extinction due to myths about the medicinal and magical properties of their blood and scales, which are made of material similar to our hair and fingernails and bear no benefit to humans. In some regions of Asia, pangolin meat is a delicacy; in Africa, it is sold as bushmeat. These creatures faced additional persecution when they were erroneously named as a possible source of COVID-19.Â
Vickey Chauhan // Shutterstock
The world's only scaly mammal, pangolins are integral to maintaining healthy forests by dining on termites. While termites actually help maintain a healthy ecosystem by consuming dead wood and turning it into nutrient-rich organic matter called humus, an unchecked population can overrun a forest. A single pangolin can protect about 31 football fields' worth of forest from termite damage. Pangolins also keep soil healthy and aerated by digging burrows, which aids in decomposition and vegetative regrowth.
Pangolins have been hunted nearly to extinction due to myths about the medicinal and magical properties of their blood and scales, which are made of material similar to our hair and fingernails and bear no benefit to humans. In some regions of Asia, pangolin meat is a delicacy; in Africa, it is sold as bushmeat. These creatures faced additional persecution when they were erroneously named as a possible source of COVID-19.Â
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Mountain lions are eating wild donkeys in Death Valley: Why scientists say it’s a good thing
Lucas Leuzinger // Shutterstock
Like other heroes on this list, tapirs are frugivores. Seeds from food sources move through their digestive tract and are eventually discarded along the forest floor in their nutrient-rich waste. In this way, frugivores are essential to restoring degraded environments and increasing carbon storage. Tapirs actually prefer to feed in these degraded settings. So, by simply performing everyday functions like eating and defecating, the tapir is helping to seed and restore large swaths of its South American rainforest habitats that have been disturbed by fires and deforestation.
You may also like: 50 photos that show companionship in the animal kingdom
Lucas Leuzinger // Shutterstock
Like other heroes on this list, tapirs are frugivores. Seeds from food sources move through their digestive tract and are eventually discarded along the forest floor in their nutrient-rich waste. In this way, frugivores are essential to restoring degraded environments and increasing carbon storage. Tapirs actually prefer to feed in these degraded settings. So, by simply performing everyday functions like eating and defecating, the tapir is helping to seed and restore large swaths of its South American rainforest habitats that have been disturbed by fires and deforestation.
You may also like: 50 photos that show companionship in the animal kingdom
