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Elephant Bird and Moa DNA extracted

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  • 11-03-2010 1:39pm
    #1
    Galvasean
    Registered Users Posts: 30,746 ✭✭✭✭


    One step closer to Jurassic Park...
    The oldest eggshell to yield DNA came from an Australian emu that died around 19,000 years ago. It is the first time that scientists have succeeded in extracting ancient DNA from the fossilised eggshells of a bird.

    Genetic material from the Madagascan elephant bird, the heaviest bird that ever lived, was also recovered, along with DNA from Australian owls, New Zealand ducks and flightless moas.

    Unfortunately no such luck for the Australian Genyornis, whose DNA had degraded too much for proper extraction.

    Before we get ahead of ourselves:
    "As with all ancient DNA, the DNA we isolated from eggshell is very fragmented," said Oskam. It will be possible to sequence extinct genomes from fossil eggshell, he said, "but it is a huge leap to imagine we can clone an extinct species."

    Full article here.

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    #2
    iUseVi
    Registered Users Posts: 1,435 ✭✭✭iUseVi


    Could the same technique be used on more recent birds? Thinking in particular of the Dodo.


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    #3
    marco_polo
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 10,076 Mod ✭✭✭✭marco_polo


    iUseVi wrote: »
    Could the same technique be used on more recent birds? Thinking in particular of the Dodo.

    Surprisingly enough it seem to be almost as difficult to find more than a few fragments of Dodo DNA, despite it only dying out a little over 400 years ago. And it is only in the last few years that even these tiny mDNA samples have been extracted.

    http://earthsky.org/biodiversity/ancient-dna-and-the-search-for-the-dodos-cousin


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    #4
    iUseVi
    Registered Users Posts: 1,435 ✭✭✭iUseVi


    marco_polo wrote: »
    Surprisingly enough it seem to be almost as difficult to find more than a few fragments of Dodo DNA, despite it only dying out a little over 400 years ago. And it is only in the last few years that even these tiny mDNA samples have been extracted.

    http://earthsky.org/biodiversity/ancient-dna-and-the-search-for-the-dodos-cousin

    I see they had to cut a bit out of the leg to get the sample. But theres several stuffed ones around the world in museums. Probably highly contaminated for sampling though I suppose.


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    #5
    Galvasean
    Registered Users Posts: 30,746 ✭✭✭✭Galvasean


    Those stuffed ones are probably virtually useless. The preservatives used have most likely contaminated anything that would have been useful.
    Our best hope is soft tissue preserved in alcohol IMO.


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