This month I find out that animals should be careful when choosing a mate, picking a partner that matches them in quality, else they might face an early grave! I discover that a mutation in a taste receptor gene has helped macaques in Japan to become thieves. And in the scientific spark, I talk to Kate Umbers from the University of Western Sydney, who works on a variety of topics, mainly related to understanding the mechanisms, functions and evolution of biological colouration. She tells me what sparked her interest in becoming a scientist. 

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A Japanese Macaque munching on fruit (image: https://www.flickr.com/photos/gingiber/)

Quicklinks:

Becky Kilner's Burying Beetle Lab 

Burying Beetle paper in eLife 

Japanese Macaque taste receptor paper in PLOS One

Kate Umbers' lab page