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Atlas Blue Butterfly's Unique Genome: A Double-Edged Sword

9/30/2025

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Summary

Story summary

The Atlas blue butterfly has 229 chromosome pairs, the highest known count, published in Current Biology on September 10, 2025.
Researchers at the Wellcome Sanger Institute sequenced its genome, revealing chromosomes split into smaller sections over three million years.
Chromosomal rearrangements may boost diversity but threaten survival amid climate change and habitat destruction; they may advance human cancer research.

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Story summary

The Atlas blue butterfly has 229 chromosome pairs, the highest known count, published in Current Biology on September 10, 2025.
Researchers at the Wellcome Sanger Institute sequenced its genome, revealing chromosomes split into smaller sections over three million years.
Chromosomal rearrangements may boost diversity but threaten survival amid climate change and habitat destruction; they may advance human cancer research.