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Woolly mammoth among trove of ancient DNA found in squirrel poo
Researchers found DNA from woolly mammoths, bison, horses and American cheetahs in frozen ground squirrel droppings, revealing ancient ecosystems.
- A new study published Tuesday, June 09, 2026, in Nature Communications reveals ancient DNA from mammoths and cheetahs preserved in Arctic ground squirrel coprolites found in the Yukon, dating back 700,000 years.
- Klondike permafrost burrows act as "little frozen time capsules" by preserving diverse organic matter, allowing Arctic ground squirrels to create a detailed biological record of prehistoric environments across the region.
- Tyler Murchie, a scientist with the Hakai Institute, refined a method using molecular "baits" to extract fragile DNA from the samples, which Murchie noted provide "huge" information potential.
- Studying these feces helps researchers understand shifts between interglacial periods, including the last one about 115,000 thousand years ago, offering insight into the current Holocene period that began about 11,700 years ago.
- Evolutionary biologist Hendrik Poinar at McMaster University noted the findings "blow the door wide open" on understanding the past, as the team anticipates more results from pending squirrel deposits.
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Ancient squirrel poop reveals ‘remarkable’ details about Arctic
Researchers analyzed permafrost samples collected from ground squirrel burrows, spanning several glacial periods.
·Missoula, United States
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A Canadian study published on Tuesday, June 9 in "Nature" reveals that frozen rodent feces found in the Yukon have retained many traces of DNA from plants and animals, including woolly mammoths.
·Paris, France
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Researchers have extracted exceptional genetic material, including woolly mammoths, from squirrel burrows stored in Canadian permafrost Scientists have
·France
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In addition to woolly mammoth DNA, researchers also discovered genetic material from wolves, bison, horses, cheetah and hundreds of plants.
·Paris, France
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Total News Sources74
Leaning Left14Leaning Right13Center30Last UpdatedBias Distribution53% Center
Bias Distribution
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L 24%
C 53%
R 23%
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