Skip to content
Surprising Science

Zebra’s Stripes

Researchers have discovered a clue to how different creatures in the animal kingdom create the colorful and patterned body ornamentations that mark their species.
Sign up for the Smarter Faster newsletter
A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

Researchers have discovered a clue to how different creatures in the animal kingdom create the complex body ornamentation and patterns that mark their species. The study is the first to find evidence for what generates animal color patterns — be they colorful stripes and spots to attract mates, or designs made to provide camouflage from predators. On experiments with drosophila flies, the scientists found “a color-inducing morphogen, a diffusible protein that tells certain cells to make pigment.”

Sign up for the Smarter Faster newsletter
A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

Related

Up Next
As the campaign in Afghanistan wears on, there is a consensus in the Islamic world that a discernible American retreat from the region is in the works, writes Fouad Ajami.