Sci Tech
Scientists Recreate Ice Age Beasts’ Genomes, Ancient Humans Next?
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The cave bear (Ursus spelaeus) was a species of bear that lived in Europe during the Pleistocene and became extinct at the beginning of the Last Glacial Maximum, about 27,500 years ago.[/caption]
Scientists Recreate Ice Age Beasts' Genomes
The team of researchers completing the work on the horse was lead by Ludovic Orlando, a genetics professor at the Natural History Museum of Denmark. Orlando is very hopeful about the new techniques saying, "These techniques mean we can study evolutionary pathways and the relationships between long-extinct creatures and their modern counterparts."
A plethora of fossils of other creatures from the Ice Age have been found including saber-toothed cats and giant ground sloths. Until now, scientists did not believe that their remains contained enough DNA to create sequences. This recent research can likely shed light on their genomes as well, especially that involving the cave bear. The bears remains were from a warmer climate and more decomposed than that of the horse, but DNA could still be collected.
scientists are now hoping that the genome of Homo erectus, pre-Neanderthal man, could be reconstructed.
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Skeletal evolution of the horse[/caption]
