Genome Yields Insights into Golden Eagle Vision and Smell

        Researchers from Purdue and the University of West Virginia have finally completed the genome sequence of the golden eagle. This extremely important for identifying unknown characteristics of the species, and it will help promote new conservation strategies. Scientists have already learned that golden eagles are not as sensitive to ultraviolet light as what was recently believed. They also found that golden eagles have a much keener sense of smell than we thought. They learned that the golden eagle may use its sense of smell to locate prey as well as their vision. The DNA used for the sequencing was obtained from the blood of a golden eagle. The team placed a gps tracker on the eagle before releasing it. Using the gps, they can now relate the bird's movements and behavior to its genome.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/04/140424141015.htm

Scientific Themes

1. Science is collaborative- Researchers from Purdue and West Virginia University worked together to sequence the genome.
2. Role of Motivation- The scientists were hoping to find more information about conserving this particular species while they were identifying the genome.
3. Repeatability- Anyone can look for the genome code of the golden eagle.