Sparrows in mining towns Broken Hill and Mount Isa have evolved to avoid lead poisoning, geneticists find
Submitted by Chickowee on 24 Sep 2018.
Sparrows in the mining towns of Broken Hill and Mount Isa have adapted to avoid the uptake of lead, according to a new genetic study of the birds.
Researchers from Macquarie University compared the genomic data of sparrows from the mining towns in New South Wales and Queensland respectively, with sparrows from nine other regional and urban centres.
Professor Simon Griffith from Macquarie University said the study, published in the journal Science of the Total Environment, provided the first evidence of animals adapting to lead contamination in heavily polluted areas of Australia.
