A 'time switch' in bird embryos decides if they can fly (IMAGE)

Kyushu University

A 'time switch' in bird embryos decides if they can fly

Caption

Whether a bird can fly depends on a single structure in the breastbone called the keel, which anchors the muscles needed for flight. Studying emu (left) and chicken (right) embryos, researchers at Kyushu University found that a molecular time switch, the TGF-β signaling pathway, determines whether the keel forms.

Credit

Yuji Atsuta / Kyushu University

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