Researchers at West Virginia University are the first to make a sequence of the genome of the golden eagle.They identified eagle features that could lead to more effective conservation strategies. In their studies they questioned the golden eagle's vison and sense of smell. The genome provides genetic markers that will help researchers keep track of population and eagle mortality. Golden eagles are threatened mainly do to poaching, shrinking habitats and collusions with turbines. An analysis of the genome have revealed that golden eagles have many more genes associated with smell than prior knowledge suggested. Doyle used the genome to identify genetic markers that could function as DNA which would allow researches to distinguish between different birds.The researchers obtained the genome by extracting DNA form a golden eagle's blood, and then they placed a tracking device on the bird before they set it free. This research could lead to an improvement in the preservation of the golden eagle.
NOS Themes:
- Science is collaborative
- Science is Credible
- Science is supported by evidence
Link:
http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2014/04/24/genome_yields_insights_into_golden_eagle_vision_smell.html
I would think that another theme of the nature of science in this article is the role of motivation and curiosity because these researchers at WVU probably had motivation or curiosity about Golden Eagle genomes to want to make the sequence of the Golden Eagle genome.
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