Canario, Adelino2026-01-212026-01-212026-020378-1119http://hdl.handle.net/10400.1/28164Wang Y, Zhang Q, Xu Q, Zhang H, Liu X, Yang G. Cetacean-specific GPR12 mutation is functionally associated with blubber thickening. Gene, volume 968, 10 October 2025, 149734. https://doi.org/10.1016 /j.gene.2025.149734. The blubber, a thick layer of fatty tissue, is a key adaptation in aquatic mammals, providing energy storage and facilitating buoyancy and locomotion (Berta, 2023). Blubber thickening has evolved independently in cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises), sirenians (manatees and dugongs), and pinnipeds (seals, sea lions, and walruses), raising questions about the genetic basis of this adaptation. Wang et al. (2025) reasoned that G protein-coupled receptor genes associated with the regulation of lipid metabolism could be involved, and homed in on GPR12, whose deficiency in mice leads to obesity and dyslipidemia (Bjursell et al., 2006)engjournal article10.1016/j.gene.2025.149903