​Where researchers were wrong about the extinction of mammoths ● Duck dinosaur teaches us useful things about life ● Tens of thousands of birds were killed in Peru after the first outbreaks of bird flu

Where were the researchers wrong when they talked about the extinction of mammoths

Just a year ago, genetic studies conducted on plant and animal DNA collected from arctic sediment samples showed that mammoths survived in northern and even central Siberia until about 3,900 years ago. Which seemed a little strange, given that there were no fossils younger than 10,700 years.

DNA studies of Eurasian woolly mammoths and Alaskan wild horses yielded similar results. And again the result contradicted the findings of fossils. A new study published in the journal Nature attacks the 2021 study and explains where the discrepancy comes from. That would be a mistake.

In fact, the DNA in the soil comes from bones that have not decomposed or decayed very slowly due to the cold temperatures of the Arctic, not from living animals at all. DNA can come either from animal droppings or from their bones. And the experts focused on the bones. In fact, DNA in bones can last for tens of thousands of years under special conditions, perhaps even hundreds of thousands, and can contaminate the soil in which it resides, producing inconsistent results.

Now, given that the method of extracting DNA directly from sediments has really gained popularity in recent years, and many studies have been written on the subject, some involving ancient human species, it wouldn’t be surprising to see many of these being recalled soon. And, ah, the mammoths of central and northern Siberia actually died out over 10,000 years ago.

The duck dinosaur teaches us useful things about life

When we think of dinosaurs, the first things that come to mind are large carnivores, much larger herbivores, the first birds, and the incredible diversity of life during the Mesozoic era. The dinosaur we are going to talk about today is different from anything that was known. why Because it looks a lot like a duck. One with teeth, but still a duck. And this is truly a wonder in the world of paleontologists.

In addition, a dinosaur recently discovered in Mongolia called Natoventator polydontus is the first dinosaur that swam and hunted in water, like modern waterfowl. Not to be confused with semi-aquatic dinosaurs such as modern crocodiles, best exemplified by the giant Spinosaurus.

There is only one dinosaur species it can be related to, namely Halszkarator, an incomplete specimen also discovered in Mongolia in 2017. But, given the level of fragmentation and rarity of fossil elements, experts cannot say much. much about this first copy. But it seems that the species were similar and led a similar lifestyle.

From the size and shape of its body, which bears a striking resemblance to a duck, Natovenator was clearly an animal capable of swimming, swimming and fishing. And according to experts, this is one of the best examples of convergent evolution. More precisely, the appearance of similar signs in species that are very distant from an evolutionary point of view.

After the first outbreaks of bird flu in Peru, tens of thousands of birds were killed

After the US announced that more than 52 million birds, both domestic and wild, were infected with the H5N1 HPAI bird flu virus, the largest re-outbreak of this type of flu in North American history, Peruvian authorities resorted to desperate measures. measures after detection of the same strain of influenza.

More than 14,000 wild birds, especially pelicans, have died in just a few weeks, officials in Lima have announced. Meanwhile, the virus reached poultry farms, and poultry farmers had to destroy at least 37,000 of them. As a result, the Peruvian authorities declared a state of emergency in the field of health care for 90 days.

The H5N1 HPAI virus was discovered last year in Canada. In January 2022, this was also reported in the USA. Currently, it has reached the area of ​​Patagonia. There is still no cure, and the rate of infection and mortality of birds is enormous.

Photo source: profimediaimages.ro