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June 9, 2005

DNA Of the Cave Bear

I hadn't really considered how DNA mapping could really help clear up some of the questions in the evolutionary family tree. The scientists used the well-documented complete map of a dog's DNA as a crib sheet for determining the appropriate mapping of an ancient species of cave bear (like there are bears that don't like caves?). They found that the cave bear was more closely related to the brown bears (like the grizzly and Kodiak bears) than to the black bears (Yosemite). Truthfully, I would have put money on the brown bears even without such scientific evidence. The black bears in California are more like pets than wildlife nowadays, and they just don't seem as smart - more like gigantic raccoons.

Scientists have sequenced the DNA of two cave bears that roamed the Austrian Alps some 40,000 years ago. It marks the first time researchers have been able to completely sequence the DNA of a species that has long been extinct.
The research opens the door to sequencing the DNA genome of other extinct species, including the Neandertals (often spelled "Neanderthals").

More at: Ancient Bear DNA Mapped -- A 1st for Extinct Species

Posted by sorsha at June 9, 2005 2:24 PM