Tag: Butterfly

  • Nation & World

    A clue to biodiversity?

    An analysis of 20 butterfly genomes found evidence that many butterfly species — including distantly related species — show a surprisingly high amount of gene flow between them, Harvard researchers found.

    5 minutes
    Heliconius xanthocles butterfly illustration with wings spread.
  • Nation & World

    Written in the bones

    Harvard doctoral students offered a glimpse of the future of evolutionary inquiry, outlining projects that touch on the human pelvis, butterfly hybrids, field and forest mice, and the mystery of an ancient pile of bones.

    7 minutes
  • Nation & World

    Vivid details

    A landmark effort to sequence the genome of the butterfly Heliconius melpomene has revealed that it shares genes that control color patterns with two species that closely mimic its appearance — Heliconius timareta and Heliconius elevatus — suggesting that all three exchange genes as a result of occasional hybridization.

    3 minutes
  • Nation & World

    Giving hybrids some respect

    Harvard researchers have used genetic analysis to confirm that the Appalachian tiger swallowtail butterfly arose through hybridization of two other species, the Canadian and Eastern tiger swallowtails, highlighting a rare case of speciation through hybridization in animals.

    4 minutes
  • Nation & World

    Caught in the act

    Breaking up may actually not be hard to do, say scientists who’ve found a population of butterflies that may be on its way to a split into two distinct species.

    4 minutes