Small, furry and powerful: are mouse lemurs the next big thing in genetics?

Mouse lemurs are the world's smallest primate and the most abundant apart from humans. They have been studied by ecologists for years, but now scientists from Stanford University think they could become a classic model for genetics research. Researchers are combining ecological field techniques with advanced sequencing and citizen science to make their case - building a living genetic library of wild lemurs in the forests of Madagascar.

CORRECTION: In the voice over at 00:06 we state that mouse lemurs are "the most abundant [primates] other than humans". This is incorrect. The grey and brown mouse lemurs used in this work are, however, among the most abundant non-human primates on Earth. We apologise for the inaccuracy.