Researchers Find That Some Butterflies Share DNA  May 17, 2012
Image Credit: Photos.com  Brett Smith for RedOrbit.com
Geneticists have made a startling breakthrough while sequencing
the genome of a South American butterfly, according to a study
published in the May 16 edition of Nature.  More than 70
scientists from 9 different institutions were involved in the
Heliconius Genome Consortium, which sequenced the entire genome
of the Postman butterfly (Heliconius melpomene). They found that
the insect and two other related species, Heliconius timareta
and Heliconius elevatus, share similar color patterns on their
wings because they share related sequences of DNA.  Researchers
said the genetic sharing between these species is the result of
hybridization, or inter-species breeding. The resulting hybrid
offspring inherit traits of both the mother and father. Though
often considered evolutionary dead-end in other animals like the
mule, the Heliconius hybrids occasionally interbreed with a
parent species, in the pro