It must be hard being a platypus. All your friends laugh at how funny you look and now you have to face up to the fact that your genes are just plain wierd too….

Several news sites are reporting results form the platypus genome project today (BBC, CNN, NPR, Science Daily; the actual study is in the journal Nature) and some people might be wondering who really cares about platypus genes? Will it end poverty? Will it save the world? Probably not, but the platypus is an interesting genetic puzzle that points to why evolution is science and creationism/intelligen design is not.

The platypus is an egg-laying mammal — it has fur, feeds its young milk, but lays eggs instead of having babies. It has mammal genes and genes similar to those of birds for making eggs. They also have reptile-like genes to produce a venom and bizarre sex chromosomes. They are old animals, having been around for about 150 million years. Studying these bizarre genes could lead to new understanding for the evolution of many species characteristics and behaviors. Since our genes are linked to everything from fruit flies to bats, the more we know about all species, including the odd platypus, the more we understand about ourselves. Money well spent in the long run.

And as far as intelligent design goes, the platypus is the poster child for why there is no intelligent designer unless ID supporters believe that God has a sense of humor.

If you want to see a video of a platypus swimming and sleeping, go to NPR.