Posts Tagged ‘genetics’
New Bird Evolves Faster than Any Other
Posted by: Avi in New Discoveries on March 23rd, 2009
A bird recently discovered in the Solomon Islands is a member of the White Eyes (Zosteropidae) family that evolves more rapidly than any other bird. - Dr. Chris Filardi, American Musuem of Natural History
The Vanikoro White Eye is a newly discovered species of bird, found on the tiny island of Ranongga. Genetic analysis of the White Eye birds of the Solomon Islands shows that there are 13 different species, some on islands as close as 2km apart. There are over 100 species of White Eyes around the world.
Tri-species illustration - BirdLife International
Rob Moyle from the University of Kansas said, “As we started to compile the data, we were shocked…White-eye species from across the family’s range had strikingly similar gene sequences, indicating a recent origin and incredibly rapid diversification.” Due to the its rapid capacity for diversification, some call White Eyes the Great Speciator. DNA analysis of many White Eyes species showed that they can generate about 2-3 new species every million years.
Bringing the Wooly Mammoth Back from Extinction
Posted by: Avi in New Discoveries on November 19th, 2008
What if we could bring back animals that are extinct to life, like in Jurassic Park? Well scientists think it may be possible to bring some animals back to life because of new DNA technologies.
DNA only lasts about 60,000 years so an animal we wanted to bring back would have to have lived no earlier than that (unfortunately Dinosaurs are much older). Scientists have started to look at the Wooly Mammoth, which died off about 10,000 years ago. Fossil finds of the Wooly Mammoth have produced hair, which can provide DNA segments that can be sequenced by the newest machines.
The problem is that scientists at this point cannot totally create new DNA from data about the sequence. What may be possible is to look at differences between the mammoth DNA and the DNA of its closest living relative, the African Elephant. There are about 400,000 differences between the elephant and mammoth genome. New technology may be available soon that could take an elephant’s DNA and just replace the 400,000 sections that need modification, place that DNA in an elephant egg and implant it into a female elephant. The female elephant would be pregnant and then give birth to the first mammoth to live since the last one died about 10,000 years ago.
There are still some hurdles to overcome though so don’t expect to see a Wooly Mammoth at your local Zoo anytime too soon.
The Full Article from the New York Times…
