‘Weird and cool’: bilby genome sequence could help to save the species

Bilbies have the biggest genome of any marsupial, which could be down to how it evolved its incredible sense of smell

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Genetic research has revealed the threatened Australian native bilby - with its ridiculously oversized ears and stretched snout - does not only look odd from the outside.

Bilbies are weird and cool. The genome has been fascinating," said Prof Carolyn Hogg, of the University of Sydney, who led research that sequenced the greater bilby's genome for the first time.

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