DNA of Woolly Mammoth Fully Sequenced 175
jd writes "Scientists have decoded the mitochondrial DNA of the Woolly Mammoth. According to the article: 'the Mammoth was most closely related to the Asian elephant rather than the African Elephant. The three groups split from a common ancestor about six million years ago, with Asian elephants and mammoths diverging about half a million years later.' This work is tied into efforts by researchers to use DNA to analyze other extinct species, such as the cave bear, the Haast eagle and the American lion. The novel aspect of this latest work is that it involved stitching together almost 50 fragments of mtDNA in order to obtain the sequence as a whole."
Great... (Score:3, Funny)
Easily explained (Score:4, Funny)
Mammoths evolve? wait a sec... (Score:3, Funny)
DNA? Evolution? Never happened! Mammoths were on the Ark with Noah!
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For the ID kooks out there who are probably speaking in tongues and convulsing on the floor after today's spanking in court I offer an interesting letter to the editor.
Some don't need vaccine
Recent news about the avian flu virus has raised concerns from main street to the White House. There is the possibility, even likelihood, that the virus will mutate into a form that can more easily infect humans.
As the president pointed out, a vaccine cannot be made until this evolution occurs.
This raises the concern that it may be impossible to create enough vaccine fast enough to protect all our citizens. But there is hope.
Gallup polls tell us that up to 45 percent of Americans don't believe in evolution. Since random mutation is the engine of evolution, these same people must believe that the virus cannot mutate.
Therefore, there is no need to waste vaccine on folks who believe there is no possible threat to themselves -- thus leaving a sufficient supply for the rest of us. Perhaps the president, given his doubts about evolution, may wish to demonstrate his leadership by foregoing vaccination.
This approach has added benefits. Polls also tell us that disbelief in evolution is more pronounced among the less educated, the poor and conservatives. If the anti-evolutionists among these groups were to opt out of vaccination then, through immediate deaths and natural selection, we would reduce poverty, raise educational attainment and become a more progressive society.
Re:Mammoths evolve? wait a sec... (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Mammoths evolve? wait a sec... (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Mammoths evolve? wait a sec... (Score:2)
So unless there is evidence to indicate that these two sub-species of squirrels acquired these genetic differences that prevent successful inter-breeding in recent recorded history, this does not prove macro-evolution.
Man has been inter-breeding animals between different species for thousands of years (Eg: mules
Re:Mammoths evolve? wait a sec... (Score:3, Informative)
There are various criteria by which you can judge what constitutes a species, and to be honest it does get slightly woolly round the edges, but one good rule of thumb is that if two animals can mate to produce fertile offspring, they're both of the same species. A horse and a donkey can produce a mule, which is infertile. Likewise, these two squirrels cannot produce fertile offspring. Therefore it could be argued that by this measure, they are two different species, even though at first glance
Re:Mammoths evolve? wait a sec... (Score:2)
Which is exactly why it's retarded to act like evolution gives a damn whether it happens "in kinds"
or not. This topic seems to come up [slashdot.org] every time a vaguely genetic story hits the front page.
Where's the -1, Pseudoscience mod?
Re:Mammoths evolve? wait a sec... (Score:2)
Not always. Occasionally, a female mule is fertile. Which just goes to show that things are even woolier than one might expect.
So far, I've not heard of a definition of species that is inclusive of everything we like to think of as different species, while exclusive of everything we'd like to think of as the same species.
Which just means we need to work on definitions a bit more. Every time a Creationist points out an exception, he's pointing
Re:Mammoths evolve? wait a sec... (Score:2)
Re:Mammoths evolve? wait a sec... (Score:2)
Re:Mammoths evolve? wait a sec... (Score:3, Informative)
Actually, this might not be a transitional state. It could be a long-term stable state. If conditions vary continuously across a species' range, local populations could all be well adapted to local conditions. Widely-separated populations could be very differen
Re:Mammoths evolve? wait a sec... (Score:2)
What is amazing is that such people can compartmentalize evolution in this way and do so in a poor attempt to defend their unsupported beliefs.
When I build a computer programme, I do it a handful of lines at a time until the program is complete. Sometimes I even modify existing lines and others I cannibalize code I already h
Re:Mammoths evolve? wait a sec... (Score:2)
Re:Mammoths evolve? wait a sec... (Score:3, Informative)
Micro-evolution, hybrids etc are all considered perfectly valid by IDers.
Re:Mammoths evolve? wait a sec... (Score:4, Informative)
Apparently for them, a journey of a thousand miles does not start with a single step. It can only be achieved by some kind of magician with a pair of seven-league boots.
Justin.
Re:Mammoths evolve? wait a sec... (Score:2)
Re:Mammoths evolve? wait a sec... (Score:2)
When I used the term IDers, I really meant all believers in all forms of creationism, as I think they are actually the same (as demonstrated by the discovery in the Dover trial that the phrase 'sc
Re:Mammoths evolve? wait a sec... (Score:2)
Consider the relatively s
Re:Mammoths evolve? wait a sec... (Score:2)
I do not accept that speciation is the result of 'macro-evolution', just evolution. In your example, sympatrism (never knew the correct word for it, but very familiar with the idea) does not require any thing more than ordinary genetic drift and selection pressure - ie evolution.
Suppose, with these mythical octopuses, there a
Re: punctuated equilibrium (Score:2)
Punctuated Equilibrium, while not gradual, is still across a few thousand generations. Think of it as more of a 'rapid gradualism' than the macro-evolution idea of a sudden eruption of feathers on a surprised looking archeopteric chick so loved of the anti-evolution brigade
J.
Re:Mammoths evolve? wait a sec... (Score:2)
The whole term "macro-evolution" was invented by creationists to try to desperately hold on to their "god-of-the-g
Re:Mammoths evolve? wait a sec... (Score:2)
Well fuck, I know I'll be modded to oblivion for this, but goddammit does this thinking kill me. Something like 80-90% of the population of the United States (and probably similarly around the world) believe in a creator or a higher power. Even if the believe is that all this creator did was to touch off evolution, there is still a creator (so the belief goes.)
The kind of thinking that the Slashdot crowd proports, basically categorizing everyone who believe
Re:Mammoths evolve? wait a sec... (Score:2)
Which is what the discussion was about... how Creationists "evolved" (pardon the pun) into "Intelligent Design" proponents.
The raw facts in front of them forced THINKING creationists to re-evaluate their thoughts on the origins of life....to realize that Genesis was an allegory - not literal fact. If there was a Noah, he surely didn't have two of EVERY species on his little boat. THINKING individu
Re:Mammoths evolve? wait a sec... (Score:2)
Perhaps it is you who is worthy of pity. People like
Re:Mammoths evolve? wait a sec... (Score:2)
Re:Mammoths evolve? wait a sec... (Score:2)
What we don't believe is that life came out of nowhere. Evolution does not attempt to explain how life began, it only explains how life adapts.
That said, your post is 100% flamebait. Sure, let's kill off the poor, the less educated, and the conservatives. Let's move on towards a more progres
Re:Mammoths evolve? wait a sec... (Score:2)
Re:Mammoths evolve? wait a sec... (Score:2)
I think you misunderstood my earlier post though. I'm not saying God created life for the sole purpose of adapting and evolving. I believe that God created life with the ability to adapt and evolve. If one really does believe God created life, it would only make sense that the created life would be able to adapt in order to survive; otherwise all life would eventually die out, rendering the creation of life meaningless.
Re:Well unfortunatly (Score:2)
That's understandable given that the Wooly Mammoth lived in the icy extreme north and south while Noah lived in the area around Egypt.
Likewise it is understandable that he couldn't get to animals that lived in similar areas like penguins, the arctic wolf, polar bears, snowshoe rabbits, reindeer, caribou, etc... Oh wait.. Nevermind.
Re:Well unfortunatly (Score:2)
Re:Well unfortunatly (Score:3, Informative)
Please do not associate creationism and ID with Christianity. Only a small fundamentalist sect of Christianity believes in such things. The vast majority of Christians throughout the world do not believe in such nonsense.
Re:Well unfortunatly (Score:2)
I also seriously doubt there's any way to determine that empirically.
SB
Re:Well unfortunatly (Score:2)
Well its easy enough, and generally accurate, to take the official position of the governing church body and say this generally reflets the opinion of its members.
Of the 2 billion christians worldwide, 1.5 billi
Mitochondrial DNA! (Score:5, Informative)
Come on folks, this is junior high biology.....
I plead innocent (Score:2)
Re:I plead innocent (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:I plead innocent (Score:2)
Because it's too obvious? *grin*
SB
Re:Mitochondrial DNA! (Score:1)
--
The Best Damn IRC Search Engine [ircdig.com]
Re:Mitochondrial DNA! (Score:2, Informative)
I think I saw an article a couple days ago postulating on resurrecting a Wolly Mammoth based on the mtDNA sequencing...
Re:Mitochondrial DNA! (Score:3, Funny)
Sentence fragment.
Come on folks, this is junior high biology.....
And that was grade school English.
Re:Mitochondrial DNA! (Score:2)
"... can be
Only "Sentence fragment." was a sentence fragment. The ironing is delicious.
Re:Mitochondrial DNA! (Score:2)
About Mitochondrial DNA (Score:2)
Since they reproduce asexually, your mitochondria should be identical to those of your mother, barring mutation. This is what lets them trace lineages so well with mitochon
Lives of the Cell (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Mitochondrial DNA! (Score:2)
What About the Frozem Mammoths? (Score:2)
As others have noted, mitochondria can be useful for looking at lineage but that's a tiny piece of their genetic info. Ever since the blurb in the pa
Re:Mitochondrial DNA! (Score:2)
Actually, I'm hoping that they'll put the sequence up on an FTP site. You can download mtDNA and nDNA sequences from a number of places. Even though I have absolutely no use for it, it would be cool - in a geeky kind of way - to have the data files on CD.
Incorrect title (again) (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Incorrect title (again) (Score:1)
Re:Incorrect title (again) (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Incorrect title (again) (Score:3, Insightful)
In this case, that would be Pleistocene Park.
Re:Incorrect title (again) (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Incorrect title (again) (Score:2)
Re:Incorrect title (again) (Score:2)
Re:Incorrect title (again) (Score:2)
Re:Incorrect title (again) -OT- (Score:2)
I can read text at work, I can't really listen to podcasts at work.
Podcast novels without text are like book on tapes without the original book being available.
Good try... (Score:2)
Embryos (Score:2, Insightful)
I wanna have my Furry Park!
Re:Embryos (Score:3, Interesting)
Yes, but... (Score:1)
Re:Yes, but... (Score:1)
And what about the Jackalope?
what happened to them, do they still exist?
Re:Yes, but... (Score:2)
Can Jurrasic Park be a reality... (Score:2, Funny)
The book... (Score:1)
Re:The book... (Score:2)
Re:Can Jurrasic Park be a reality... (Score:3, Informative)
Actually, I'm pretty sure they used frogs for some stupid reason.
Re:Can Jurrasic Park be a reality... (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Can Jurrasic Park be a reality... (Score:2)
They're already considering it
What nerdy kids will want for Christmas... (Score:3, Funny)
Re:What nerdy kids will want for Christmas... (Score:2)
The woolly mammoth... (Score:4, Funny)
Mitochondrial Count (Score:3, Funny)
So the force is strong in him but I sense great fear in the Woolly Mammoth , and fear leads to extinction.
Relief (Score:5, Funny)
How many bytes... (Score:3, Funny)
Re:How many bytes... (Score:2, Informative)
You can download [gutenberg.org] The human genome project files from project gutenberg and see for yourself.
Re:How many bytes... (Score:2)
I'm pretty sure that using lossey encoding would be a bad thing for storing the human genome.
Hmmm (Score:2)
Ted Turner is going to make out like a bandit! (Score:3, Funny)
Mmmmmmm........ ribs!
Mommy, can we go there? (Score:2)
When can we bring them back from extinction? (Score:2)
Re:When can we bring them back from extinction? (Score:3, Informative)
It would be nice, however, to let maggie [alaskazoo.org] go someplace warmer, and have something more suitable to our colder Alaskan climate. They might be tasty, and one sure would fill the deep freeze with meat for the winter.
Alaskan man dies of autoerotic asphyxiation among 1,000 marijuana plants worth $2,000,000 [suvalleynews.com]
the next step (Score:2)
So, how goes the gene de-sequencing?
Such a misleading headline ... (Score:4, Informative)
So the headline was almost totally incorrect and misleading. The mtDNA is typically about 0.1% of a mammal's total DNA. Sequencing the mtDNA is only about 1000th of "fully sequenced". They have a long, long way to go before a "fully sequenced" claim can be made.
Their achievement is newsworthy enough by itself. There's no reason to exaggerate it so wildly.
Who wrote the title? (Score:2)
Re:I for one... (Score:3, Funny)
Re:I for one... (Score:2, Funny)
Re:I for one... (Score:2)
You missed 'arthritic'... (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Way Cool (Score:2, Funny)
BBQ Mammoth wouldn't work. (Score:2)
Re:BBQ Mammoth wouldn't work. (Score:2)
Re:tasty (Score:2)
Re:bogus: diverging about half a million years lat (Score:2)
Re:bogus: diverging about half a million years lat (Score:3, Funny)
Re:bogus: diverging about half a million years lat (Score:2)
Re:bogus: diverging about half a million years lat (Score:2)
Re:MOD THE TROLL DOWN!!! (Score:2)
Re:Might Mammouth DNA reveal... (Score:2, Funny)
What do you mean? Hurled from a Catapult or a Trebuchet?
Re:DAMMIT! (Score:2)
I want a mini-mammoth (oxymoron)
According to Wikipedia [wikipedia.org], they have discovered a dwarf species of mammoth on Wrangel Island off the east coast of Siberia. I don't know if this is the species that they're decoding the DNA for, though.