Researchers find why some cats look like Hitler [View all]
Source: Times of Israel, January 9, 2016
Faulty gene causes irregular distribution of pigment cells in fur, scientists establish; may help explain process of congenital defects in humans
The Internet is full of pictures of Kitlers – cats unfortunate enough to have a black and white pattern on their furs vaguely resembling the facial hair of the leader of Nazi Germany.
A new study suggests that the feline führers’ coat is determined by a faulty gene determining their pattern still in the womb of mother cat.
Called piebald, the pattern – typically a distribution of two colors on an animal’s coat of fur – occurs when pigment cells fail to follow genetic “instructions” at a very early stage of development.
According to a report on the study in the UK paper Independent, scientists hope that the study on how piebald animals develop can shed light on some congenital medical conditions affecting humans, like holes in the heart, also caused by problems relating to cell movements in the womb.
Read more: http://www.timesofisrael.com/researchers-may-now-know-why-some-cats-look-like-hitler/
More pics of "Kitlers" here: http://www.catsthatlooklikehitler.com/cgi-bin/seigmiaow.pl
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