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Morganucodon: an ancient rodent ancestor of mammals

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Morganucodon is a fossilized animal that lived about 200 million years ago and most likely resembled the first mammalian ancestor . A study recently published in PNAS has shown how the reconstruction of the ancestral genome can help not only in the study of mammalian evolution , but also in the conservation of contemporary species .

The research was conducted using genome samples from 32 living species including human beings, chimpanzees, rabbits, manatees, domestic cattle, bats, pangolins and rhinos using Chinese crocodile and chicken genomes as comparison groups.

In all genomes, 1215 groups of genes have been found that always appear in the same order and on the same chromosome , showing some evolutionary stability in the order and orientation in the genes on the chromosomes over a long period of time.

Researchers could thus be able to trace the chromosomes of the ancestor common to these species, thanks also to the discovery of variations in the rates of chromosomal rearrangement between mammalian lineages.

  • An ancient rodent Morganucodon is the ancestor of all mammals including humans, study finds (interestingengineering.com)

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