In our newly published research in Science Advances, my student Ben Alessio and I propose a potential mechanism explaining how these distinctive patterns form—that could potentially be applied to ...

Many butterflies develop wing patterns that mimic other species to protect themselves from predators. While growing complex body parts like wings involves many genes, the difference between two ...

Why does a Caribbean angelfish sometimes resemble its Indo-Pacific cousin, even though they have never lived in the same ocean? Why do coral reefs harbor such a wide range of stripes, spots and ...

It was long predicted that the source of domestic cats’ distinctive pumpkin-orange fur coloring was genetic and was produced by a gene on the sex-determining X-chromosome because 80% of orange cats ...

The little marsh swarmed with insects. Tiny moths popped up from the grass, darted a short distance and then disappeared back into the grass. Small wood nymph butterflies kept searching for the ...

Six species of swallowtail butterflies occur locally, and they combine yellow, black, orange, blue and red in several diverse patterns that invariably catch the eye. We can marvel at them, but our ...

Cats are beautiful in so many ways, including their coat colors and patterns, of which there are many. And it isn’t just longhaired and shorthaired cats who boast a range of looks, as even hairless ...

Cats are intelligent and spunky creatures, forever keeping owners on their toes with their shenanigans. Along with an array of quirky cat behaviors and catlike charms, kitties also sport a variety of ...

Never heard of this one? Domestic cat breeding has led us to felines with “colorpoint” patterns, which is when the body of ...