Scientists Dug Through Ancient Squirrel Poop And Found a Huge Surprise
Researchers used frozen squirrel feces to reconstruct 18 genomes and a mammoth-steppe food web, revealing DNA from megafauna, predators and plants.
- Researchers reconstructed over 18 mitochondrial genomes from ancient ground squirrel feces found in the Canadian Arctic, according to a study published Tuesday in Nature Communications.
- Acting as 'natural archivists,' Arctic ground squirrels collected materials in burrows that subsequently froze, locking away ecological records from the Middle Pleistocene, explained Tyler Murchie, a paleogenomics researcher at McMaster University.
- Dating back up to 700,000 years, the coprolites contained DNA from diverse species including steppe bison, horses, and 200 types of plants, establishing these droppings as an exceptional genetic repository.
- Outperforming bone and sediment, the droppings provided what Murchie called a 'spectacular' amount of information, challenging long-held assumptions about which materials best preserve ancient DNA.
- Hendrik Poinar, director of the McMaster Ancient DNA Centre, notes these genetic insights may help predict how animals adapt to current warming by illustrating how ecosystems responded to past climate shifts.
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15 Articles
The squirrels that conserved 700,000 years ago DNA have just starred in one of the most surprising scientific discoveries of recent times. An international team of researchers has managed to recover extraordinarily old genetic information from fossilized excrement preserved in Northern Canada’s permafrost. What seemed like a simple biological remnant has ended up becoming an authentic time capsule. Thanks to these samples, scientists have succee…
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Slate.frBy excavating ancient frozen burrows in the Yukon, researchers have discovered a wealth of genetic information. Mammoths, bison, horses, and even large predators reappear thanks to DNA preserved in fossilized coprolites. Source link: https://www.slate.fr/sciences/crottes-congelees-ecureuils-vieilles-700-000-ans-adn-bisons-lievre-mammouth-pergelisol-yukon-coprolithes Author: François Montcorbier Publish date: 2026-06-11 05:25:00 Copyright for syn…
Researchers Investigated Ancient Squirrel Poop Frozen in Permafrost and Found Enlightening Details About the Animal's Ecosystem
Up to 700,000 years ago, ground squirrels in modern-day Canada collected tons of helpful genetic information on their bygone environment through their diet
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