A mammoth study

Woolly Mammoth

Aberystwyth University IBERS scientists Prof Paul Shaw and Dr Niall McKeown contribute to study that suggests the last known population of woolly mammoths did not "inevitably" die out because of inbreeding and lack of genetic diversity.

Scientists working together in the UK and Sweden applied techniques normally used to tackle crime scenes to carry out DNA analysis of samples recovered from the permafrost on Wrangel Island in the Arctic Ocean.

IBERS scientists Prof Paul Shaw and Dr Niall McKeown developed the microsatellite DNA methods  for the study, the first time this technique has been applied to mammoths.

The study, published in the journal Molecular Ecology (doi: 10.1111/j.1365-294X.2012.05525.x), concluded that it was more likely that human activity or environmental factors killed off the last mammoth population..

Although mammoths generally died out and disappeared from mainland Eurasia and North America around 10,000 years ago, it is estimated that about 500-1,000 mammoths continued to survive for a further 6,000 years on the 7,000 sq km Wrangel Island after it was cut off from the Russian mainland by rising sea levels.

The scientists also say their research could have implications for modern-day conservation programmes, as it suggests that population sizes of 500 individuals can be large enough to maintain genetic variation over long time periods.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-17457561

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