The kakapo—once thought extinct—is one of the most thoroughly studied animals on the planet. Every single one of the last 153 kakapos on the planet is known to researchers. Every one carries a radio transmitter, so scientists know its position, as well as its movements and sex life.

And soon, a team led by Andrew Digby from the Department of Conservation will sequence the genomes of all of these birds. By the end of this year, the kakapo will become the first species on Earth for which we have a complete genetic record. Forget hipsters and Silicon Valley entrepreneurs: The exemplar of the quantified-self movement is a green, bumbling, oblivion-defying parrot.

The first kakapo to have its DNA fully decoded was a female called Jane. The decoders—Jason Howard and Erich Jarvis from Duke University—were working on a broader effort to sequence the DNA of all 10,000 bird species. They chose the kakapo as one of their focal species at the encouragement of Howard’s daughter, who had become enchanted with the parrot after reading a children’s book about it.

Read the source article at The Atlantic