Lil BUB a descendant of Hemingway’s cats
In a recent article by The Daily Mail, it was announced that Lil BUB had a DNA test that explains 1) the traits (genetic mutation) that make her look so cute and 2) her ancestry. Lil BUB has a rare genetic mutation that causes her to have osteoporosis and it’s the same gene that affects humans.
‘We were curious and wanted to look at her genome. Since developmental processes, like bone formation, are quite conserved across mammals, we hypothesized that identifying the causative mutations underlying BUB´s phenotypes might improve our understanding of these rare diseases also in humans’, said Dr Ibrahim.
It was also noted that Lil BUB is also likely related to the famed polydactyl’s that inhabit Ernest Hemingway’s home in Key West, Florida. Polydactyl’s are cats that have extra toes and are nicknamed “Hemingway Cats.”
For the full story, see this story:
Scientists have finally discovered what makes celebrity cat Lil Bub so ‘magical’
Dario Lupianez is the author of dense scientific papers with titles including “Breaking TADs: How alterations of chromatin domains result in disease.” Now he, as one member of an international team of molecular biologists, is also a co-author of a paper on the extraordinary genetics of celebrity cat Lil Bub.
