Researchers from UC Santa Cruz have decoded the genomes of crocodilians, revealing their evolutionary progress. The scientists published the genomes of the American alligator, saltwater crocodile, and Indian gharial this week in the journal Science. By comparing the genomes with those of birds, the researchers have begun to reconstruct the genome of the crocodilian-avian ancestor, the archosaur. The researchers will contribute their findings to the Genome 10K Project, which is aiming to collect 10,000 vertebrate genomes.