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DNA from 1.2m year old mammoth unlocks Ice Age genetic mystery
Chris Davies - Feb 17, 2021, 11:19am CST
Groundbreaking research into incredibly ancient DNA that predates even the longest human timelines has set new records, unlocking the evolutionary secrets of the long-extinct mammoth. The DNA was taken from mammoth remains up to 1.2 million years old, allowing researchers to peer back through time to understand how climate adaptations took place and in the process identify what appears to be a new species.
DNA sequencing is relatively new, but some of the samples that scientists have analyzed have been around a very long time. Until now, the oldest DNA sample to be recovered and have its genome sequenced was from a horse that lived potentially 700,000 years ago. That was back in 2013.