All articles tagged with #hagfish
Researchers at Chapman University have developed a transparent gelatin tank to observe how hagfish burrow into deep-sea sediment, revealing a two-phase process involving vigorous thrashing and concertina-like wriggling. This study, published in the Journal of Experimental Biology, could inform the design of soft burrowing robots and has broader ecological implications for sediment turnover and oxygenation.
Scientists have sequenced the genome of the hagfish, a deep-sea scavenger known for its defense mechanism of releasing copious amounts of mucus when threatened. The study revealed that the hagfish's ancestors tripled the size of their genome after diverging from jawed vertebrates more than half a billion years ago, shedding light on the evolutionary history of early vertebrates.
The sequencing and analysis of the genome of the inshore hagfish, Eptatretus burgeri, sheds light on the timing and consequences of whole-genome duplication events in early vertebrate evolution. The study provides insights into the ancestral vertebrate karyotype, supports the monophyly of cyclostomes, and reveals the presence of six Hox clusters in hagfish, suggesting a distinct genome history shared by lampreys and hagfish. Additionally, the research uncovers gene family evolution and genomic changes accompanying major transitions in chordate evolution, offering essential information for comparative genomics and understanding the genetic basis of vertebrate diversity.