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Biomolecular analyses reveal the age, sex and species identity of a near-intact Pleistocene bird carcass.

Nicolas DussexDavid W G StantonHanna SigemanPer G P EricsonJacquelyn GillDaniel C FisherAlbert V ProtopopovVictoria L HerridgeValerii V PlotnikovBengt HanssonLove Dalén
Published in: Communications biology (2020)
Ancient remains found in permafrost represent a rare opportunity to study past ecosystems. Here, we present an exceptionally well-preserved ancient bird carcass found in the Siberian permafrost, along with a radiocarbon date and a reconstruction of its complete mitochondrial genome. The carcass was radiocarbon dated to approximately 44-49 ka BP, and was genetically identified as a female horned lark. This is a species that usually inhabits open habitat, such as the steppe environment that existed in Siberia at the time. This near-intact carcass highlights the potential of permafrost remains for evolutionary studies that combine both morphology and ancient nucleic acids.
Keyphrases
  • climate change
  • genome wide
  • oxidative stress
  • minimally invasive
  • dna methylation
  • gene expression