A nearly $1 million National Science Foundation award is funding University of Georgia research that investigates how animals develop as male or female—a central question in biology with implications for health, evolution, and biotechnology. Douglas Menke, professor of genetics and director of the Developmental Biology Alliance, will lead the project with Jonathan Eggenschwiler, professor of genetics, serving as co-principal investigator. The award provides approximately $980,000 in funding through 2030. Menke’s research focuses on Anolis sagrei, a small lizard whose sex chromosome system differs from those found in mammals and birds. Scientists have long understood that chromosomes help determine biological sex in many species, but the process varies widely in reptiles, and the mechanisms are not fully understood. Read More: NSF Article
