Woolly Rhino Genome: Scientists Sequence Ancient DNA from Wolf Stomach
News Context
At a glance
- That came as a surprise, since woolly rhinos disappear from the fossil record about 400 years later.
- Recent discoveries in Siberia are rewriting our understanding of Ice Age life. A remarkably well-preserved woolly rhino horn, estimated to be over 40,000 years old, has been unearthed,...
- The rhino horn, analyzed by an international team led by researchers at the Center for palaeogenetics in Stockholm, Sweden, retains much of its original structure, including traces of...
That came as a surprise, since woolly rhinos disappear from the fossil record about 400 years later. Already, the species was making its last stand in northeastern Siberia; its range had been shrinking eastward since around 35,000 years ago. But apparently, on the cusp of extinction, the species was still doing pretty well in northeastern Siberia (except for this particular rhino, who got eaten by a wolf after what one can only assume was a bad day).