Scientists Have Successfully Reconstructed the Genome of a Rare Mammal for the First Time

One of the rarest mammals in the world

The unicorns, these legendary creatures resembling a horse with a horn at the level of the head, gave the nickname to two species: the Siberian unicorn, a kind of rhinos, which disappeared there are tens of thousands of years and which had a kind of “horn” on its skull, and the Asian unicorn.

The genome of the “Asian unicorn” reconstituted for the first time

According to Sciencean international research team, used skin, hair, bone and other fabric samples to reconstruct for the first time the genome of “Asian unicorn”, which holds its nickname the presence of horns on its head and its extremely rare observations. A job that allowed them to learn more about this animal, scientifically described in 1993. Still according to the English -speaking media, scientists have discovered that the genetic diversity of Saola has been declining for thousands of years, with a population of only 5,000 individuals identified in the space of 10,000 years.

However, the study, published on May 05 in the journal Cellalso made it possible to learn that there were two genetically distinct populations, one located in the south, and the other in the north. “We were very surprised to note that the Sala is divided into two populations with considerable genetic differences. This division occurred between 5,000 and 20,000 years ago, “said Genís Garcia Erill, a biologist at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark.

An animal in critical danger of extinction

The researchers observed that these two populations had lost sections of their genetic code over time, but that these shortcomings could be compensated by the genes of the other population of Saola. If this hypothesis turns out to be verified, it would represent a reason for hope in the conservation of this species which is classified as being in critical danger of extinction by IUCN.

The specialists feared extinction after the last time the Sala was observed is on a photograph in 2013. The loss and fragmentation of its habitat, as well as hunting and poaching, in particular because of its fur, are the causes of its critical situation.

Source: Sciencealerlet