Press release on the scientific discovery: https://www.inrae.fr/en/news/mystery-four-horned-goats-and-sheep-finally-solved
Their results reveal that polycerate individuals all carry a mutation affecting the same gene: HOXD1. This is a homeotic gene, which means that it is involved in the organisation of the body plan during the development of embryos.
I hope no mad scientist ever plays with that gene 😅
Article of the photo source https://myanmarnewsfeed.xyz/la-oveja-hebridean-de-cuatro-cuernos-una-criatura-iconica-y-misteriosa/
No mad scientists, just regular scientists working on regular fruit flies. What could go wrong?
Well fuck
I, for one, do not want four horned fruit flies!
Yeah, it is pretty nightmare fuelish, but the advances in developmental biology that came from those studies was amazing. Interesting how the formation of different organisms can follow very similar processes.