A team of scientists from the Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung, the LOEWE Center for Translational Biodiversity Genomics (TBG), and the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research investigated whether evolutionary changes in diet can result in the loss of genes, using 52 recent and 31 extinct mammal species as examples. In their study, recently published in the Journal of Evolutionary Biology, the researchers conclude that the loss of the PNLIPRP1 gene is associated with a low-fat diet, regardless of whether the animal is herbivorous or carnivorous. In addition, the researchers note that predators may be particularly vulnerable to environmental toxins because of the loss of the NR1I3 gene, which is involved in the detoxification process.