Qizai, a brown giant panda in captivity who was at the center of the scientific study, is seen on May 28, 2021. Li Yibo/Xinhua/Getty Images. Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter.

The researchers also identified Qizai’s son, a black-and-white panda born in captivity in 2020. (The study team later identified Qizai’s father, Xiyue, ...

Qizai the brown panda might have lost a bit of his mystery, but he’s definitely clawed something back in scientific progress. The study is published in the journal PNAS.

Qizai, a rare brown-and-white panda, has been settling at the center, receiving exceptional care from dedicated professionals and managing through meticulous scientific breeding practices since ...

Qizai, a brown giant panda in captivity who was at the center of the scientific study, is seen on May 28, 2021. Li Yibo/Xinhua/Getty Images. Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter.

Qizai, a brown giant panda in captivity who was at the center of the scientific study, is seen on May 28, 2021. Li Yibo/Xinhua/Getty Images via CNN Newsource A wild giant panda in China's Qinling ...

The researchers also identified Qizai’s son, a black-and-white panda born in captivity in 2020. (The study team later identified Qizai’s father, Xiyue, ...

Scientists in China studied the genetics of multiple pandas in the wild and in captivity to understand why some pandas have a brown-and-white coat.

The researchers also identified Qizai’s son, a black-and-white panda born in captivity in 2020. (The study team later identified Qizai’s father, Xiyue, ...