With a rare genetic condition called erythrism some insects, like this fluorescent pink katydid, develop an unusual reddish pigmentation. It's not enhanced in any way. The coloration (erythrism) is an adaptation sometimes found among katydids exposed to red or pink foliage, although this one was in the woods off the Appalachian Trail near Mount Peter, N.Y. ...

Before you get any ideas that we're cloning wholly mammoths back into the 21st century, it's not that. An American geneticist has extracted DNA from the frozen remains of a long-dead mammoth found on Wrangel Island in the Arctic Ocean (shown above), created a synthetic replica of it, and implanted it into elephant cells that have been isolated in a petri dish, using a new technique of DNA splicing that allows for unprecedented accuracy.

The technique used to join synthetic mammoth DNA fragments with the genetic code of an elephant is called CRISPR/Cas9, and while it’s been recently used to create transgenic organisms, this is the first time it’s been used on the DNA of an extinct organism.

Way to go!

Source: http://www.sciencealert.com/mammot ...

Kösen's height was caused by the production of too much growth hormone due to a tumour in his pituitary gland. The tumour was eventually removed in 2010 through revolutionary gamma-knife surgery. Amge has a form of dwarfism, caused by a mutation in a bone growth gene.

Nature never ceases to amaze. Found in Canada, this toad had a mutation that caused its eyes to grow in the roof of its mouth, which means it had to open its mouth to see.

A one in a million apple has been found on a property in Kingston in southern Tasmania. Half granny smith, half red delicious, it's thought that this mutation is the result of all the mutations that led to the Australian royal red gala, and this particular apple is trying to revert to a couple of its previous versions.

This is Migaloo, the albino white humpback whale. His name is derived from an Aboriginal word that means “white fella.” Migaloo is a favorite for whale watching enthusiasts. He is believed to be the only documented white humpback whale in the world.

He was discovered in 1991 and quickly became popular with tourists and locals alike. Since then, sightings have been rare. He migrates from Antarctica to Australia on a yearly basis, and some years he slips by undetected. Most of these photos were taken in 2012 on Migaloo’s return to Antarctica. ...

This is a rare baby Golden Brushtail Possum that was born at Wild Life Sydney last year. Golden Brushtail Possums are one of Australia’s largest tree-dwelling marsupials but they're rarely seen in the wild, being found mostly in small pockets of Tasmania. Their unique appearance is the result of low levels of melanin in their skin.