Back in September, researchers published the genome of Meleagris gallopavo, the domestic turkey and America's fourth most popular meat.
It will be invaluable as future generations of scientists set out to optimize meat yield and quality without falling back on adding organic nonsense like water to make average turkeys seem better than they are.
It was interesting, showing us turkeys have 80 chromosomes compared to our 46 and perhaps helping us understand aflatoxins, those naturally occurring carcinogenic chemicals produced by fungi that suppress the immune system - and which the domesticated turkey is the most susceptible to - but what about the rest of Thanksgiving dinner?
Credit: D. Sharon Pruit
Luckily for you, Discover is on the case with a guide to the DNA of your Thanksgiving Day dinner. You can learn all about transposons in corn and all the rest over there. I'll be at dinner while you read.
