Thursday, April 16, 2020

The Delightful Mutation Behind Siamese Cats



We learned earlier that calico cats owe their color to the direct effect of genes, but cats who have “points,” like the coloration of a Siamese cat, use a very different process to determine their looks. Well, it begins with genes, but the exact path is rather weird. Hank Green is here to explain it.

2 comments:

  1. Here's something I just learned because of the above post. You see, I thought 'nah, that's not a jaguar, that's a leopard'. I always thought jaguars were these sleek, black cats. Turns out they are just like leopards, same genus, except they live in the Americas rather than Asia and Africa. Next time I see a Jaguar XK Ima going say 'there goes an American leopard' !

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  2. So .... if I have some Siamese cats, let's make them kittens, and I keep them in my house that is heated to 38 degrees, they will stay all white, alright ?
    Fascinating.
    I wonder how cool (lol) that would be, being in a house one degree warmer than my body temperature.
    Actually, at 6.45 in the evening, April 17th, the day after my daughter turned 45, I am stretched out on a shays longie surrounded by my 6 cats and am typing one handed as I enjoy our New Zealand lock down at 21 degrees, quite comfortable, thank you, so Ima guessing 37 would be uncomfortable.

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