Genetic Mutation in Mice Suggests Extinct Mammoth Had Light and Dark Fur
Biologists at the University of California, San Diego have found that the main color differences among Florida’s mice—which are darker on the mainland//, but lighter on the barrier islands to blend in with the white sand dunes—are largely due to a simple genetic mutation. Their discovery, deta...Ancient fossils shed light on anatomical changes accompanying evolution of first land vertebrates
...t, venturing from water to land. But according to Jennifer Clack, a paleontologist at the University of Cambridge who has studied the fossils of these extinct creatures for more than two decades, the earliest land vertebrates also known as tetrapods were more diverse than we could possibly imagine. "So...Biologists Question Animal Brain Size Theory
...l History said their detailed analysis of meat-eating animals -- living and extinct -- shows changes in the size of the animal's brain relative to itself were ...ly unchanged in some (for example, most cats), it steadily decreased in the extinct bear-dogs called Amphicyonidae. Meanwhile, for dogs, brain size only recent...Payment reform and solutions to challenges facing primary care addressed in policy papers
...ecommendations involve changes to reverse the declining interest in the practice of primary care that is on the verge of making particular specialties extinct and to provide a better environment for physicians to respond to patient needs. Refinement of the fee-for-service system is needed because it is like...Scientists Make Clones of Mice Dead 16 Years
...bably impossible." He and his co-authors did acknowledge, however, the possibility of preserving endangered species and perhaps resurrecting other extinct species. Other experts thought the implications of such technology could be more immediate -- and more human. "Learning how to manipulate stem ...'Iceman' Mummy Has No Modern Kin
...resent," study co-author Franco Rollo, a researcher at Italy's University of Camerino, said in a university news release. "We don't know whether it is extinct or it has become extremely rare." The researchers report that the mummy is the oldest human to have had his or her mitochondrial DNA decoded. "W...Climate change could impact vital functions of microbes
...zing zone underneath glaciers. As global temperatures rise and glaciers retreat, these microorganisms lose their habitat. They will probably go extinct before we can study them and get a better idea of their contributions, says Schmidt. He is also studying microbial activity under the snowpack i...Seasonal Flu Outbreaks Start in Asia: Study
...t a step ahead of the virus, because we now know where to look." Russell said flu viruses rarely return to their place of origin and usually become extinct after a flu epidemic has run its course. "When these viruses leave East and Southeast Asia, they rarely return," he said. "The regions outside East an...Versatility of 454 Sequencing(TM) Demonstrated in Three Publications in Science Last Week
...To put this new study in perspective, only seven mitochondrial genomes from extinct animals had been previously published, four from ancient birds, two mammoth...ribed in today's paper, uses hair shafts and not live cells. Hair from many extinct species is available in museum collections around the world. The new protoc...New discovery suggests trees evolved camouflage defense against long extinct predator
Many animal species such as snakes, insects and fish have evolved camouflage defences to deter attack from their predators. However research published in New Phytologist has discovered that trees in New Zealand have evolved a similar defence to protect themselves from extinct giant birds, provi...Study unravels why certain fishes went extinct 65 million years ago
Large size and a fast bite spelled doom for bony fishes during the last mass extinction 65 million years ago, according to a new study to be published March 31, 2009, in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences . Today, those same features characterize large predatory bony fishes, ...Understanding extinct microbes may influence the state of modern human health
The study of ancient microbes may not seem consequential, but such pioneering research at the University of Oklahoma has implications for the state of modern human health. Cecil Lewis, assistant professor in the Department of Anthropology, says results of this research raise questions about the mi...Scientists map soils on an extinct American volcano
MADISON, WI, October 20, 2008 | Union County New Mexico is a landscape of striking diversity. Out of expansive rangelands rise sporadic yet majestic cinder cone volcanoes and mesas preserved by basalt, part of the Raton-Clayton Volcanic Field. Capulin volcano, formed approximately 62,000 years ago...Most people believe smallpox not an extinct disease
The vast majority of Scottish people interviewed in the streets of Edinburgh are unaware of one of the greatest achievements of medical science the eradication of smallpox from the world over 40 years ago. A poll sponsored by the Society for General Microbiology (SGM), in conjunction with the Edi...Baiji Dolphin previously thought extinct spotted in the Yangtze River
BEIJING-- The reported sighting of a Yangtze River dolphin, or Baiji, means there is still a chance for people to take further action and protect the cetaceans in the Yangtze from extinction, according to World Wildlife Fund. The Chinese media reported that a local businessman in Tongling City ...Mammals that hibernate or burrow less likely to go extinct
The best way to survive the ill-effects of climate change and pollution may be to simply sleep through it. According to a new study published in The American Naturalist , mammals that hibernate or that hide in burrows are less likely to turn up on an endangered species list. The study's autho...Reconstructing the biology of extinct species: A new approach
An international research team has documented the link between the way an animal moves and the dimensions of an important part of its organ of balance, the three semicircular canals of the inner ear on each side of the skull. The team's article on its research will be published on 26 June in the ...Birds going extinct faster due to human activities
Embryonic stem cells, prized for their astonishing ability to apparently transform into any kind of cell in the body, acquire their identities in part by interacting with their surroundings - even when they are outside of the body in a laboratory dish, University of Florida scientists report. Us...Colombian frog believed extinct found alive
Researchers exploring a Colombian mountain range found surviving members of a species of Harlequin frog believed extinct due to a killer fungus wiping out amphibian populations in Central and South America. The discovery of what could be the last population of the painted frog (Atelopus ebenoides...'Museomics' yields new insights into extinct Tasmanian tiger
January 13, 2009 In 1902, the National Zoo in Washington D.C. arranged to have a unique and endangered animal called the thylacine, or Tasmanian Tiger, brought to the United States from Tasmania. Later that year, a female and her three cubs arrived at the zoo. However, by the mid-1930s, the thy...Nature parks can save species as climate changes
...normous change with more than 40 per cent of species leaving." The findings also show that some species are likely to struggle, and may even become extinct unless new populations can be established. A priority species might be lost from a particular IBA, but there may be other climatically suitable sites ...