Scientists discovered the oldest known DNA and used it to reveal what life was like 2 million years ago in the northern tip of Greenland.
Today, it's a barren Arctic desert, but back then it was a lush landscape of trees and vegetation with an array of animals, even the now extinct mastodon.
Studying really old DNA can be a challenge because the genetic material breaks down over time, leaving scientists with only tiny fragments. But millions of years ago, this region was undergoing a period of intense climate change that sent temperatures up, Willerslev said. Sediment likely built up for tens of thousands of years at the site before the climate cooled and cemented the finds into permafrost.
The DNA also showed traces of animals including geese, hares, reindeer and lemmings. Previously, a dung beetle and some hare remains had been the only signs of animal life at the site, Willerslev said. "I wouldn't have, in a million years, expected to find mastodons in northern Greenland," said Love Dalen, a researcher in evolutionary genomics at Stockholm University who was not involved in the study.
"You really get a broader picture of the ecosystem at a particular time," Vernot said. "You don't have to go and find this piece of wood to study this plant, and this bone to study this mammoth."
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
PODCAST: Skull Skates is Canada’s oldest skateboard company - Terrace StandardTODAY IN B.C.: Business has outlets in British Columbia and Japan
Read more »
Improving satellites offer new tool for Canada's whale scientistsThe rapid advance of very\u002Dhigh\u002Dresolution satellite imagery are providing conservationists with opportunities to locate, count and monitor wildlife from space
Read more »
Scientists finally know why people get more colds and flu in winterIn what researchers are calling a scientific breakthrough, scientists behind a new study may have found the biological reason we get more respiratory illnesses in winter. It turns out the cold air itself damages the immune response occurring in the nose.
Read more »
Metchosin murder suspect linked to crime scene through DNA during trialFor the first time in the three-week trial, DNA evidence placed James Lee Busch inside victim Martin Payne's Metchosin home.
Read more »