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Follow this thread for an almost unbelievable story, hiding in the SI of this paper:
https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(20)31071-X
Ten years ago, a roughly 14,000 year old frozen #dog or #wolf #puppy was found in Russia. It's been named Tumat.
Subsequently, an autopsy of Tumat was conducted (1/n).
https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(20)31071-X
Ten years ago, a roughly 14,000 year old frozen #dog or #wolf #puppy was found in Russia. It's been named Tumat.
Subsequently, an autopsy of Tumat was conducted (1/n).
Inside the puppy's stomach, @MhsSindging, Sergey Fedorov & others found a hairy piece of tissue.
The mystery tissue from Tumat's tummy was sent to #CpgSthlm, where @nibbledtodeath extracted DNA to identify the species that the tissue belonged to.
It came from... (2/n).
The mystery tissue from Tumat's tummy was sent to #CpgSthlm, where @nibbledtodeath extracted DNA to identify the species that the tissue belonged to.
It came from... (2/n).
... a WOOLLY RHINOCEROS!
We subsequently sequenced a lot more DNA from it, and generated a complete mitochondrial genome.
This mitochondrial genome is now featured in the @CurrentBiology paper by @EdanaLord et al. (link above).
To be sure of it's age, we also... (3/n)
We subsequently sequenced a lot more DNA from it, and generated a complete mitochondrial genome.
This mitochondrial genome is now featured in the @CurrentBiology paper by @EdanaLord et al. (link above).
To be sure of it's age, we also... (3/n)
... directly 14C dated the rhino tissue, confirming it's 14,400 (±300) years old.
So, one of the world's last surviving woolly rhinos was eaten by a puppy.
And we sequenced its mitogenome and included it in our study.
Photos by S Fedorov, @MaDehasque & @love_dalen (4/n).
So, one of the world's last surviving woolly rhinos was eaten by a puppy.
And we sequenced its mitogenome and included it in our study.
Photos by S Fedorov, @MaDehasque & @love_dalen (4/n).
