Shawdow194

I get the feeling Casper is the instigator… look at those “innocent” eyes!

Sounds familiar

Yes! By defintion mutation is a change in DNA, but most people consider it more of a modification rather than the occasional just missing bit.

We usually refer to missing DNAs as cancers since damaged and missing genetic data are the leading cause of unregulated cell division

In most other mammals, mutations in a protein called Mc1r lead to red hair color. But this has failed to explain orange color patterns in cats. “It’s been a genetic mystery, a conundrum,” Barsh tells Science’s Sara Reardon.

Instead, the new studies point to a gene called Arhgap36, a protein on the X chromosome. It had never been in the lineup of potential candidates for the “orange gene,” so to speak, because it controls aspects of embryonic development.

But the change wasn’t due to a dangerous mutation. Rather, there was a small portion of DNA missing, preventing the unusual amount of Arhgap36 from affecting anything aside from the melanocytes. So, cats with the orange variation “are not only healthy, but also cute,” Science writes.

Interesting how we always talk about modifying or adding DNA but strange how removing some of it can end up with complicated results