New genomes clarify mimicry evolution
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Updated: Apr 15, 2026

The Encapsulation of Cell-free Transcription and Translation Machinery in Vesicles for the Construction of Cellular Mimics
Published on: October 21, 2013
1Department of Organismal and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.
Abstract:
For over 100 years, it has been known that polymorphic mimicry is often switched by simple mendelian factors, yet the physical nature of these loci had escaped characterization. Now, the genome sequences of two swallowtail butterfly (Papilio) species have enabled the precise identification of a locus underlying mimicry, adding to unprecedented recent discoveries in mimicry genetics.
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