Racing Pigeons Genome and Transcriptome sequencing

Racing pigeons are selectively bred to improve athletic and navigational ability in order to enable them to make their way home as quickly as possible over what are often extremely long distances. Due to their physical characteristics, racing pigeons offer a unique insight into the evolution and genetic basis of traits associated with athletic performance and navigational ability. Here, using whole genome resequencing and RNA-seq we contrasted patterns of genetic variation and gene expression between racing pigeons and fancy (looking) breeds.