Agro-Biotech News

Experts from Macquarie University used CRISPR gene editing technology to uncover why albino animals are so rare in nature. The study, published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, used gene-edited albino cane toads to test long-standing theories about the evolutionary challenges of albinism. The study found that albino toads struggled to compete even in controlled environments without predators. Albino tadpoles were less likely to survive and matured faster when living alongside pigmented siblings. As adults, they grew more slowly and had trouble catching prey. Further experiments showed that albino toads needed brighter light to hunt and frequently missed prey, making survival difficult in their natural nocturnal habitats.