# Unearthing the secrets of Australia’s most enigmatic and cryptic mammal, the marsupial mole

**URL:** <https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/t/unearthing-the-secrets-of-australia-s-most-enigmatic-and-cryptic-mammal-the-marsupial-mole/16966>\
**Category:** Conversation\
**Tags:** Science\
**Created:** [January 8, 2025, 8:19pm UTC](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/t/unearthing-the-secrets-of-australia-s-most-enigmatic-and-cryptic-mammal-the-marsupial-mole/16966 "2025-01-08T20:19:40Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![sfmatheson](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.peacefulscience.org/sfmatheson/32/22811_2.png) [@sfmatheson](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/u/sfmatheson)\
**Post date:** [January 8, 2025, 8:19pm UTC](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/t/unearthing-the-secrets-of-australia-s-most-enigmatic-and-cryptic-mammal-the-marsupial-mole/16966/1 "2025-01-08T20:19:40Z")

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There are SO many things to love about [this paper](https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.ado4140):

1. The title is wonderful.
2. The animal is **weird and wonderful**.
3. The Introduction is a great read, even if you don’t read the results and discussion (which are also nicely done).
4. Convergent evolution is one of my favorite topics, so of course it’s one of yours too.
5. They use retrotransposons for phylogenetic analysis, proving that retrotransposons are not junk DNA, since they can be used by humans to trace evolutionary history, ha.
6. Moles and other animals that “swim” through the earth have to move their testes into their abdomens, likely because SCROTUMS CREATE DRAG. The jokes make themselves! (This is a shameless plug for a cartoon on the subject.)
7. The gruesome image in Figure 1A:  
 ![marsupial mole eating ewwww](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/peacefulscience/original/3X/2/1/21f57ed210a61815dcc8eb1ad81233564ec3fa4e.jpeg)

[https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.ado4140](https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.ado4140)

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**Author:** ![Mercer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@Mercer](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/u/Mercer)\
**Post date:** [January 9, 2025, 2:26am UTC](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/t/unearthing-the-secrets-of-australia-s-most-enigmatic-and-cryptic-mammal-the-marsupial-mole/16966/2 "2025-01-09T02:26:50Z")

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> [@sfmatheson](#):
>
> SCROTUMS CREATE DRAG

I see you’re not a fan of retaining Latin plurals…

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**Author:** ![Dan\_Eastwood](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.peacefulscience.org/dan_eastwood/32/2368_2.png) [@Dan\_Eastwood](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/u/Dan_Eastwood)\
**Post date:** [January 10, 2025, 10:25pm UTC](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/t/unearthing-the-secrets-of-australia-s-most-enigmatic-and-cryptic-mammal-the-marsupial-mole/16966/3 "2025-01-10T22:25:14Z")

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> [@sfmatheson](#):
>
> The jokes make themselves!

Outdoor plumbing has a lot of drawbacks.

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**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/peacefulscience/original/2X/6/6b7bf72453a5c60b0919b6b89a27dc18bc52382c.png) [@system](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/u/system)\
**Post date:** [January 17, 2025, 10:25pm UTC](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/t/unearthing-the-secrets-of-australia-s-most-enigmatic-and-cryptic-mammal-the-marsupial-mole/16966/4 "2025-01-17T22:25:33Z")

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