We mapped the entire bilby genome – and now we can use poo to save Australia’s ‘Easter bunny’ from extinction
- Written by: Carolyn Hogg, Deputy Director, Sydney Environment Institute; Co-Lead Australasian Wildlife Genomics Group, University of Sydney
Bradley Dennien/ShutterstockCommonly known as Australia’s “Easter bunny” due to its large ears and hopping movement, the greater bilby (Macrotis lagotis) is the last of its kind. Today we published its reference genome – all 3.66 billion pieces of it.
Published in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution, it is the largest...
