Science, Space and Technology News 2024
Research from the University of Michigan has uncovered changes in the genomes of early bird ancestors following the mass extinction caused by an asteroid 66 million years ago, identifying “genomic fossils” that illustrate significant DNA shifts. These changes, crucial for bird evolution, reveal how such catastrophic events have deep and lasting impacts on biodiversity and organismal biology.
The study examined the evolutionary trajectory of all major bird groups and found evidence of “genomic fossils” in birds’“By studying the DNA of living birds, we can try to detect patterns of genetic sequences that changed just after one of the most important events in Earth’s history,” said lead author Jake Berv, who completed the study as a Michigan Life Sciences Fellow in the U-M Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology.
“We found that adult body size and patterns of pre-hatching development are two important features of bird biology we can link to the genetic changes we’re detecting,” said Berv, now a Schmidt AI in Science postdoctoral fellow with U-M’s Michigan Institute for Data & AI in Society.
For this new research, these shifts were concentrated in time, within about 5 million years of the end-Cretaceous mass extinction, Berv says. Their approach also allowed them to estimate which bird traits were most closely associated with these shifts in DNA composition.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Revealing Hidden Catalysts: Scientists Uncover Atomic-Scale Insights Into ZeolitesScience, Space and Technology News 2024
Read more »
Economists uncover hidden influence of top campaign donorsThe death of a top donor during an electoral cycle decreases the likelihood that a candidate will be elected by more than three percentage points, according to an innovative new study by Cornell economists and colleagues.
Read more »
Scientists uncover hidden forces causing continents to riseScientists at the University of Southampton have answered one of the most puzzling questions in plate tectonics: how and why 'stable' parts of continents gradually rise to form some of the planet's greatest topographic features.
Read more »
Marine biologists scrubbing away Jersey Shore's stinging jellyfish invasionMarine biologists have come up with a plan to curb a problem involving jellyfish, which are stinging swimmers along the Jersey Shore.
Read more »
Building genomic capacity for precision health in AfricaThe African continent is poised to have a pivotal role in the global population landscape, with the United Nations projecting a population of 2.5 billion (more than 25% of the global population) by 2050.
Read more »
Plant biologists discover an ancient gene family is responsible for plant prickles across speciesAccording to Greek mythology, red roses first appeared when Aphrodite pricked her foot on a thorn, spilling blood on a white rose. Since then, roses' thorns have captured the imaginations of countless poets and forlorn lovers.
Read more »