#4 - Environmental DNA

The power of a new subfield of ancient DNA (aDNA), known as environmental DNA (eDNA), is growing. In this episode I explore a study released in 2021 that reconstructs an ancient Siberian ecosystem from 50,000 years ago to the present. The ability to answer long held questions from a handful of dirt is quite the feat. Studies mentioned in the episode:* Late Quaternary dynamics of Arctic biota from ancient environmental genomics by Yucheng Wang et al., 2021. DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-04016-x * DNA pulled from thin air identifies nearby animals by Erik Stokstad, 2021. DOI: 10.1126/science.abl5425* When did mammoths go extinct? by Joshua Miller & Carl Simpson, 2022. DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-05416-3* Reply to: When did mammoths go extinct? By Yucheng Wang et al., 2022. DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-05417-2* A 2-million-year-old ecosystem in Greenland uncovered by environmental DNA by Kurt H. Kjær et al., 2022. DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-05453-y This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit dawnofsapiens.substack.com

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