For the first time ever, scientists have created genetically modified snakes. The CRISPR-edited reptiles are providing new insight into how corn snakes (Pantherophis guttatus) develop their precisely patterned scales.
Much like feathers on birds or hairs on mammals, snake scales are the result of placodes — small, thickened structures on the skin that develop at the embryonic level, according to a new study published Wednesday (June 14) in the journal Sciences Advances.
