Scientists on Thursday unveiled the results of a project comparing the genomes of 240 mammal species - from aardvarks and aye-ayes to zebus and zebras, as well as people - to trace evolutionary changes spanning 100 million years, pinpointing genetic traits widely shared and those more uniquely human. The findings in the ambitious Zoonomia Project identified parts of the genome functionally important in people and other mammals and showed how certain mutations can cause disease. The project revealed the genetics of uncommon mammalian traits like hibernation and showed how the sense of smell varies widely. The researchers said the findings on hibernation genetics could inform human therapeutics, critical care and long-distance space flight. The Zoonomia findings also can help identify genetic mutations that lead to disease, with one study scrutinizing patients with a brain cancer called medulloblastoma. "We're taking advantage of the fact that there's this massive biodiversity on … [Read more...] about Ambitious genome project shows how humans fit with other mammals