GENETICS: A GENE NAMED AFTER SONIC THE HEDGEHOG IS ALL THAT SEPARATES SCALES FROM FEATHERS

A recent discovery shows that changes in an unusually named gene can turn a scaly animal into a feathered one

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Despite their clear differences, new research shows that just a few genes separate the growth of scales from feathers in animals, and it all has to do with a gene named after Sonic the Hedgehog.

Appendages from the skin such as hair, feathers and scales are common and diverse across mammals, and they're all created when skin cells harden in the necessary areas of the body. It's a certain cluster of genes that influence this hardening - one of the most important being the Sonic Hedgehog gene (or the Shh gene).