http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/fossils_ruins/origin_of_life/ Research into the origin of life. Learn how certain small molecule interactions may have been responsible for the life itself. You will find scientific theories and findings here. en-us Thu, 16 Feb 2012 04:05:01 EST Thu, 16 Feb 2012 04:05:01 EST 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/fossils_ruins/origin_of_life/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120213154055.htm Fossil record of graptoloids challenges the theory that immediately after a mass extinction, species develop new physical traits at a rapid pace. Mon, 13 Feb 2012 15:40:40 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120213154055.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120213133453.htm Since Charles Darwin first put forth the theory of evolution, scientists have been trying to unlock the mysteries of genetics. But research on the genome -- the organism's entire hereditary package encoded in DNA and RNA -- has been less extensive. There is a tendency to think of the genome as a static and passive container of information. A critical new paradigm now redefines the genome as a dynamic structure that can impact genes themselves. Mon, 13 Feb 2012 13:34:34 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120213133453.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120207133602.htm Scientists have completed the genome sequence of a Denisovan, a representative of an Asian group of extinct humans related to Neanderthals. Tue, 07 Feb 2012 13:36:36 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120207133602.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120207100143.htm Although many anthropologists believe that modern humans ancestors "wiped out" Neanderthals, it's more likely that Neanderthals were integrated into the human gene pool thousands of years ago during the Upper Pleistocene era as cultural and climatic forces brought the two groups together. New research suggests that the Neanderthals demise was due to a combination of influences, including cultural changes. Tue, 07 Feb 2012 10:01:01 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120207100143.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120206154114.htm The love song of an extinct cricket that lived 165 million years ago has been brought back to life by scientists. The song – possibly the most ancient known musical song documented to date – was reconstructed from microscopic wing features on a fossil discovered in North East China. It allows us to listen to one of the sounds that would have been heard by dinosaurs and other creatures roaming Jurassic forests at night. Mon, 06 Feb 2012 15:41:41 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120206154114.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120201094923.htm New research reveals how the arrival of the first plants 470 million years ago triggered a series of ice ages. The research reveals the effects that the first land plants had on the climate during the Ordovician Period, which ended 444 million years ago. During this period the climate gradually cooled, leading to a series of 'ice ages.' This global cooling was caused by a dramatic reduction in atmospheric carbon, which this research now suggests was triggered by the arrival of plants. Wed, 01 Feb 2012 09:49:49 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120201094923.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120131175629.htm Scientists have demonstrated an alternative pathway to life-essential sugars called the glyoxylate scenario, which may push the field of pre-life chemistry past the formose reaction hurdle. Tue, 31 Jan 2012 17:56:56 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120131175629.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120131102519.htm Thirty-thousand-year-old bison bones discovered in permafrost at a Canadian goldmine are helping scientists unravel the mystery about how animals adapt to rapid environmental change. Tue, 31 Jan 2012 10:25:25 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120131102519.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120130130841.htm Genetic mutations that boost an individual's adaptability have greater chances of getting through to X chromosomes -- at least in chimpanzees, according to new Danish research. An analysis of the genes of 12 chimpanzees has now demonstrated that the chimpanzee X chromosome plays a very special role in the animal's evolutionary development. Mon, 30 Jan 2012 13:08:08 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120130130841.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120126131511.htm Discoveries made in some underwater caves by researchers in the Bahamas could provide clues about how ocean life formed on Earth millions of years ago, and perhaps give hints of what types of marine life could be found on distant planets and moons. Thu, 26 Jan 2012 13:15:15 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120126131511.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120126123705.htm A new study, using genetic analysis to look for clues about human migration over sixty thousand years ago, suggests that the first modern humans settled in Arabia on their way from the Horn of Africa to the rest of the world. Thu, 26 Jan 2012 12:37:37 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120126123705.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120124092930.htm Organic chemists have made a significant advance towards establishing the origin of the carbohydrates (sugars) that form the building blocks of life. The researchers have re-created a process which could have occurred in the prebiotic world. Tue, 24 Jan 2012 09:29:29 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120124092930.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120123152528.htm A 33,000-year-old dog skull unearthed in a Siberian mountain cave presents some of the oldest known evidence of dog domestication and indicates that modern dogs may be descended from multiple ancestors, with advancing glaciers thwarting early domestication efforts. Mon, 23 Jan 2012 15:25:25 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120123152528.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120122152445.htm Researchers in Japan have clarified the crystal structure of quinol dependent nitric oxide reductase (qNOR), a bacterial enzyme that offers clues on the origins of our earliest oxygen-breathing ancestors. In addition to their importance to fundamental science, the findings provide key insights into the production of nitrogen oxide, an ozone-depleting and greenhouse gas hundreds of times more potent than carbon dioxide. Sun, 22 Jan 2012 15:24:24 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120122152445.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120117144330.htm More than 500 million years ago, single-celled organisms on the Earth's surface began forming multicellular clusters that ultimately became plants and animals. Just how that happened is a question that has eluded evolutionary biologists. Tue, 17 Jan 2012 14:43:43 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120117144330.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120113210347.htm Based on a hominid molar, scientists from Germany, Bulgaria and France have documented that great apes survived in Europe in savannah-like landscapes until seven million years ago. Fri, 13 Jan 2012 21:03:03 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120113210347.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120113102058.htm Scientists have discovered a novel chemical route to form polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons -- complex organic molecules such as naphthalene carrying fused benzene rings -- in ultra-cold regions of interstellar space. Fri, 13 Jan 2012 10:20:20 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120113102058.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120112142301.htm Determining the evolution of pigmentation patterns on mollusk seashells -- which could aid in the understanding of ancient nervous systems -- has proved to be a challenging feat for researchers. Now, however, through mathematical equations and simulations, researchers have used 19 different species of the predatory sea snail Conus to generate a model of the pigmentation patterns of mollusk shells. Thu, 12 Jan 2012 14:23:23 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120112142301.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120112134321.htm A team of geneticists and computational biologists have reveal how an ancient mechanism is involved in gene control and continues to drive genome evolution. Thu, 12 Jan 2012 13:43:43 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120112134321.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120110140216.htm A turning point in the history of life occurred two to three billion years ago with the unprecedented appearance and dramatic rise of molecular oxygen. Now researchers report they have identified an enzyme that was the first – or among the first – to generate molecular oxygen on Earth. Tue, 10 Jan 2012 14:02:02 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120110140216.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120109103029.htm Scientists have described the Darwinian evolution of functional TNA molecules from a large pool of random sequences. This is the first case where such methods have been applied to molecules other than DNA and RNA, or very close structural analogues thereof. One of the researchers said "the most important finding to come from this work is that TNA can fold into complex shapes that can bind to a desired target with high affinity and specificity." Mon, 09 Jan 2012 10:30:30 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120109103029.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120108143559.htm Scientists have now demonstrated how just a few small, high-probability mutations increased the complexity of a molecular machine more than 800 million years ago. By biochemically resurrecting ancient genes and testing their functions in modern organisms, the researchers showed that a new component was incorporated into the machine due to selective losses of function rather than the sudden appearance of new capabilities. Sun, 08 Jan 2012 14:35:35 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120108143559.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111222195009.htm The genetic changes underlying the evolution of new species are still poorly understood. For instance, we know little about critical changes that have happened during human evolution. Genetic studies in domestic animals can shed light on this process due to the rapid evolution they have undergone over the last 10,000 years. A new study describes how a complex genomic rearrangement causes a fascinating phenotype in chickens. Thu, 22 Dec 2011 19:50:50 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111222195009.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111208121408.htm A study of South American songbirds has shown that these birds differ dramatically in color and song yet show very little genetic differences, indicating they are on the road to becoming a new species. Thu, 08 Dec 2011 12:14:14 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111208121408.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111206101456.htm A species of ancient predator with saw-like teeth, sleek bodies and a voracious appetite for meat survived a major extinction at a time when the distant relatives of mammals ruled the earth. Tue, 06 Dec 2011 10:14:14 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111206101456.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111205140521.htm Researchers who have adapted a three-dimensional, general circulation model of Earth's climate to a time some 2.8 billion years ago when the sun was significantly fainter than present think the planet may have been more prone to catastrophic glaciation than previously believed. Mon, 05 Dec 2011 14:05:05 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111205140521.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111205102713.htm Researchers have found the first direct evidence that an acquired trait can be inherited without any DNA involvement. The findings suggest that Lamarck, whose theory of evolution was eclipsed by Darwin's, may not have been entirely wrong. Mon, 05 Dec 2011 10:27:27 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111205102713.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111130141855.htm Scientists have used the oldest minerals on Earth to reconstruct the atmospheric conditions present on Earth very soon after its birth. The findings are the first direct evidence of what the ancient atmosphere of the planet was like soon after its formation and directly challenge years of research on the type of atmosphere out of which life arose on the planet. Wed, 30 Nov 2011 14:18:18 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111130141855.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111124150835.htm Much of our knowledge about past life has come from the fossil record -- but how accurately does that reflect the true history and drivers of biodiversity on Earth? Thu, 24 Nov 2011 15:08:08 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111124150835.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111124150752.htm The orb web, typical of a large number of spider species, has a single evolutionary origin, according to molecular phylogenetic research. The study presents the hypothesis that the diversification of spider webs is motivated by the need to occupy new natural habitats (trunks, stems, etc.) and to make more efficient use of natural resources. Thu, 24 Nov 2011 15:07:07 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111124150752.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111117143955.htm Through the analysis of various types of dating techniques on well-preserved sedimentary sections from South China to Tibet, researchers determined that the mass extinction peaked about 252.28 million years ago and lasted less than 200,000 years, with most of the extinction lasting about 20,000 years. The conclusion of this study says extinctions of most marine and terrestrial life took place at the same time. Thu, 17 Nov 2011 14:39:39 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111117143955.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111115175635.htm The brightest hues in nature are produced by tiny patterns in, say, feathers or scales rather than pigments. These so-called "structural colors" are widespread, giving opals their fire, people their blue eyes, and peacocks their brilliant feathers. Now, a new study brings us closer to the origins of structural colors by reconstructing them in fossil moths that are 47 million years old. Tue, 15 Nov 2011 17:56:56 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111115175635.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111031154119.htm During human evolution our ancestors mated with Neanderthals, but also with other related hominids. Researchers have now shown that people in East Asia share genetic material with Denisovans, who got the name from the cave in Siberia where they were first found. Mon, 31 Oct 2011 15:41:41 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111031154119.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111025090340.htm The mud volcanoes at Isua, in south-west Greenland, have been identified as a possible birthplace for life on Earth by an international team headed by researchers. Almost four billion years ago, these volcanoes released chemical elements indispensable to the formation of the first biomolecules, under conditions favorable to life. It is the first time that such an environment, meeting all the requirements for the emergence of life, has been identified by scientists in 3.8-billion-year-old formations. Tue, 25 Oct 2011 09:03:03 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111025090340.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111019221928.htm A new study is believed to have resolved a major debate about when oxygen began to be produced on Earth and how long it took before oxygen levels were enough to support the growth of life. Researchers made the discovery by examining key elements in banded iron formations through time. Wed, 19 Oct 2011 22:19:19 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111019221928.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111019181210.htm New research shows the first evidence that oxygen-breathing bacteria occupied and thrived on land 100 million years earlier than previously thought. Wed, 19 Oct 2011 18:12:12 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111019181210.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111010173015.htm Researchers say that losing the ability to make a particular kind of sugar molecule boosted disease protection in early hominids, and may have directed the evolutionary emergence of our ancestors, the genus Homo. Mon, 10 Oct 2011 17:30:30 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111010173015.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111005131654.htm New evidence supports the theory that comets delivered a significant portion of Earth's oceans, which scientists believe formed about eight million years after the planet itself. Wed, 05 Oct 2011 13:16:16 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111005131654.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111005112145.htm Scientists call it LUCA, the Last Universal Common Ancestor, but they don't know much about this great-grandparent of all living things. Many believe LUCA was little more than a crude assemblage of molecular parts, a chemical soup out of which evolution gradually constructed more complex forms. Some scientists still debate whether it was even a cell. New evidence suggests that LUCA was a sophisticated organism after all, with a complex structure recognizable as a cell, researchers report. Wed, 05 Oct 2011 11:21:21 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111005112145.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111004180106.htm A study into the muscle development of several different fish has given insights into the genetic leap that set the scene for the evolution of hind legs in terrestrial animals. This innovation gave rise to the tetrapods -- four-legged creatures, and our distant ancestors -- that made the first small steps on land some 400 million years ago. Tue, 04 Oct 2011 18:01:01 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111004180106.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111004132545.htm The glassy, porous, and once gas-rich rock called pumice may have given rise to early life forms, according to a provocative new hypothesis on the origin of life. Tue, 04 Oct 2011 13:25:25 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111004132545.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110930093532.htm A central element of the immune system has remained constant through more than 400 million years of evolution, according to new research. T-cell receptors from mice continue to function even when pieces of shark, frog and trout receptors are substituted in. The function of the chimeric receptors depends on a few crucial amino acids, found also in humans, that help the T-cell receptor bind to MHC molecules presenting antigens. Fri, 30 Sep 2011 09:35:35 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110930093532.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110926102801.htm The discovery by Russian archaeologists of the remains of an extinct prehistoric human during the excavation of Denisova Cave in Southern Siberia in 2008 was nothing short of a scientific sensation. The sequencing of the nuclear genome taken from an over 30,000-year-old finger bone revealed that Denisova man was neither a Neanderthal nor modern human, but a new form of hominin. Minute traces of the Denisova genome are still found in some individuals living today. The comparisons of the DNA of modern humans and prehistoric human species provide new indications of how human populations settled in Asia over 44,000 years ago. Mon, 26 Sep 2011 10:28:28 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110926102801.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110926095335.htm An international team of scientists has provided new insights into the processes behind the evolution of the planet by demonstrating how salty water and gases transfer from the atmosphere into the Earth's interior. Mon, 26 Sep 2011 09:53:53 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110926095335.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110925185434.htm Genetic parasites invaded the mammalian genome more than 100 million years ago and dramatically changed the way mammals reproduce -- transforming the uterus in the ancestors of humans and other mammals from the production of eggs to a nurturing home for developing young, a new study has found. Sun, 25 Sep 2011 18:54:54 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110925185434.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110922141905.htm Researchers have for the first time sequenced the genome of a man who was an Aboriginal Australian. They have shown that modern day Aboriginal Australians are the direct descendents of the first people who arrived on the continent some 50,000 years ago and that those ancestors left Africa earlier than their European and Asian counterparts. Thu, 22 Sep 2011 14:19:19 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110922141905.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110922141858.htm In an exciting development, researchers have, for the first time, pieced together the human genome from an Aboriginal Australian. The results re-interpret the prehistory of our species. Thu, 22 Sep 2011 14:18:18 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110922141858.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110922134531.htm Maintaining fluid balance in the body is essential to survival. By researching recent genomic data, researchers have found genetic evidence that links this intricate process to a turning point in evolution. Thu, 22 Sep 2011 13:45:45 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110922134531.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110922121405.htm Researchers studying DNA patterns from modern and archaic humans has found that the Denisovans, a recently discovered hominin group, contributed genes to several populations in Asia and that modern humans settled Asia in more than one migration. Thu, 22 Sep 2011 12:14:14 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110922121405.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110921120122.htm Researchers are utilizing the complete genome sequences of people alive today to shed light on events at the dawn of human history, such as the times of divergence of early human populations and of the "out of Africa" migration of the ancestors of modern Europeans, Asians and other non-African groups. Wed, 21 Sep 2011 12:01:01 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110921120122.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110921115910.htm Researchers have found that periods of rapid fluctuation in temperature coincided with the emergence of the first distant relatives of human beings and the appearance and spread of stone tools. Wed, 21 Sep 2011 11:59:59 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110921115910.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110919113846.htm New research pieces together ancient human migration in North and South America. Researchers have found that technology spread more slowly in the Americas than in Eurasia. Population groups in the Americas have less frequent exchanges than groups that fanned out over Europe and Asia. Mon, 19 Sep 2011 11:38:38 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110919113846.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110919090029.htm A team of scientists has discovered the oldest known DNA regulatory region. The team identified a small DNA fragment, with a deeply conserved noncoding sequence region (CNR), in the vicinity of soxB2 regulatory genes, which plays a role in gene regulation. Mon, 19 Sep 2011 09:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110919090029.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110916114110.htm Earth's most successful bacteria are found in the oceans and belong to the group SAR11. Researchers have now provide an explanation for their success and at the same time call into question generally accepted theories about these bacteria. In their analysis they have also identified a rare and hitherto unknown relative of mitochondria, the power stations inside cells. Fri, 16 Sep 2011 11:41:41 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110916114110.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110915131654.htm Scientists published the first quantitative evidence supporting the notion that genome-wide "bookmarking" of DNA with methyl molecules -- a process called methylation -- and underlying DNA sequences have co-evolved in a kind of molecular slow-dance over the 6 million years since humans and chimps diverged from a common ancestor. Thu, 15 Sep 2011 13:16:16 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110915131654.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110914115831.htm The blood from woolly mammoths -- those extinct elephant-like creatures that roamed Earth in pre-historic times -- is helping scientists develop new blood products for modern medical procedures that involve reducing patients' body temperature. Wed, 14 Sep 2011 11:58:58 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110914115831.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110912143447.htm There are many old wives' tales about what determines a baby's sex, yet it is the tight controls at the gene level that determine an organism's sex in most species. Researchers have found that even when genetic and genomic mechanisms are disrupted, organisms quickly evolve ways to compensate. Mon, 12 Sep 2011 14:34:34 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110912143447.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110908124509.htm An analysis of a skull from the most complete early hominid fossils ever found suggests the large, complex human brain may have evolved more rapidly and at a later time than some other human characteristics. If Australopithecus sediba is a human ancestor, as some suggest, then its fossils could help resolve long-standing debates about human brain evolution, say researchers. Thu, 08 Sep 2011 12:45:45 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110908124509.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110907171533.htm That seems to be the takeaway from new research that concludes "archaic" humans, somewhere in Africa during the last 20-60 thousand years, interbred with anatomically modern humans and transferred small amounts of genetic material to their offspring who are alive today. University of Arizona geneticist Michael Hammer and a team of evolutionary biologists, geneticists and mathematicians report the finding in today's Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Wed, 07 Sep 2011 17:15:15 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110907171533.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110907163921.htm An endangered species, Przewalski's horse, is much more distantly related to the domestic horse and has a much more diverse gene pool than researchers previously had hypothesized, researchers report. The new study's findings could be used to inform conservation efforts to save the endangered species, of which only 2,000 individuals remain in parts of China and Mongolia, and in wildlife reserves in California and the Ukraine. Wed, 07 Sep 2011 16:39:39 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110907163921.htm