Date Time
60 million years of separation have left their mark on eucalypt genome
Researchers from the University of Tasmania were part of an international team that has assembled a eucalypt genome whose evolution can be traced back around 60 million years, after the last mass extinction event recorded on Earth.
The genome of the spotted gum is the second fully-assembled reference genome published for the eucalypt group. It will be the reference genome for the genus Corymbia, known as the bloodwoods.
University of Tasmania Emeritus Professor of Forest Genetics Brad Potts said the decade-long project involved the collaborative efforts of 22 scientists from Australia, the United States and Brazil.