Scientists map panda genome

SHENZHEN: Chinese scientists have worked out the first genome draft map of the giant panda to figure out exactly what makes the endangered species tick.

"By sequencing the genome, we have laid the genetic and biological foundation to gain a deeper understanding of this peculiar species," Wang Jun, a scientist with the Beijing Genomics Institute's Shenzhen branch (BGI Shenzhen), a core participant in the International Giant Panda Genome Project, said on Saturday.

The genome map could explain why pandas eat bamboo, have black circles around their eyes, produce few offspring, and why grownup pandas are so huge but the cubs weigh only 1 percent of the mothers' weight, he said at a press conference announcing the mapping's completion on Saturday in Shenzhen.