Monday, June 29, 2026
Science

How the Atlantic herring adapted to the brackish water of the Baltic Sea

When the Atlantic herring colonized the Baltic Sea thousands of years ago, it needed to adapt to the low salinity. Genes with a vital role in the functioning of sperm, eggs and embryos were crucial to this adaptation. A new study by researchers from Uppsala University and other institutions, publish...

How the Atlantic herring adapted to the brackish water of the Baltic Sea
Image: Phys.org
When the Atlantic herring colonized the Baltic Sea thousands of years ago, it needed to adapt to the low salinity. Genes with a vital role in the functioning of sperm, eggs and embryos were crucial to this adaptation. A new study by researchers from Uppsala University and other institutions, published in the journal PNAS, shows that mutations in four specific genes were particularly important.

Originally published at Phys.org

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