Rare rays' DNA mapped to prevent inbreeding

Marine biologists want to take DNA samples from 120 rays in European aquariums to find out how diverse DNA is within the species, which will give clues as to how inbred individuals are.

This information will allow aquariums to pair up breeding adults that are more genetically diverse in the hope they produce healthier offspring. Inbreeding within a small breeding group can cause stillbirths and shorten individuals’ lifespans.

Undulate rays – which are found in the Atlantic including around the UK, and the Mediterranean Sea – are listed as endangered on the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) Red List of Threatened Species.

Continued ...

Living Relatives Of 5,300-Year Old-Mummy Located In Austria

redOrbit Staff & Wire Reports – Your Universe Online

A team of Austrian researchers have made a discovery that would put those genealogy websites to shame: they have located several living descendants of a 5,300-year-old human mummy.

The prehistoric individual, known as Ötzi the Iceman, was originally found frozen in the Alps back in 1991, according to Steve Nolan of the Daily Mail. The so-called ice mummy suffered from the oldest case of Lyme disease recorded to date, and was also lactose intolerant and predisposed to cardiovascular disease.

Now, forensic scientist Walther Parson and colleagues from the Institute of Legal Medicine at Innsbruck Medical University have identified 19 men who share a specific genetic mutation with Ötzi. These individuals were identified following an analysis of DNA samples from approximately 3,700 blood donors in the state of Tyrol, which is located in the western part of Austria.

“The discovery was made during a broader study into determining the origins of the people who now inhabit the Alpine regions. Along with their blood the donors were asked to provide their place of birth and family history,” said Matthew Day of The Telegraph.

To date, none of the men identified have been informed of their genetic link to Ötzi, Parson told Day. He added his research team is working with colleagues in Italy and Switzerland who are attempting to uncover the same genetic mutation in residents of those two nations.

Continued

DNA tests to confirm birth of Farne Island twin seals

DNA samples have been taken from a pair of seals thought to be the first twins born on the Farne Islands, off the Northumberland coast.

The grey seal pups were spotted in October by National Trust ranger David Steel, who had been monitoring a pregnant seal.

Multiple births in grey seals are rare and no records existed of any having been born on the islands before.

DNA samples have now been taken by the Sea Mammal Research Unit.

Mr Steel said: "Both are doing well and are close to independence.

'Huge success'

"With the help of the Sea Mammal Research Unit, a DNA sample has been taken from both pups so we can prove without doubt that we do have a pair of grey seal twins - the first ever wild documented occurrence.

Grey seals are Britain's largest living carnivore

Britain has 36% of the world population of grey seals around its shores

Pups weigh 14kg (30.8lb) at birth but quickly gain the blubber they need because their mother's milk contains 60% fat

Both pups were male.

Continued:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-20578495

Galapagos Tortoise 'Lonesome George' May Have Company

The death of Galápagos tortoise Lonesome George this summer was thought to mark the extinction of a subspecies, but a new study hints that the reptile may not have been the last of his kind after all.

Researchers from Yale University recently trekked to the northern tip of Isabella Island, the largest of the Galápagos, and collected DNA from more than 1,600 giant tortoises. The genetic samples showed that 17 of these tortoises were hybrids that had a parent like Lonesome George from the subspecies Chelonoidis abingdoni.

What's more, five of those hybrids were juveniles, suggesting purebred C. abingdoni tortoises may still be roaming a remote part of the island.
Continued:  http://www.livescience.com/24806-galapagos-tortoise-lonesome-george.html

Gray Whale Population Up to 5 Times Larger Before Whaling, Study Finds

The population of eastern Pacific gray whales shows a huge dip at the same point that whaling increased in the early 20th century, a new analysis of acient whale genes shows.

Eastern Pacific gray whales are a subspecies of grey whale that lives in the Pacific Ocean, migrating from the Arctic to Mexico yearly. Their population is currently estimated to be around 20,000. They are up to 46 feet (14 meters) long and weigh up to 99,000 pounds (45,000 kilograms).

While scientists have known that commercial whaling decreased whale populations, the specifics of the population prior to whaling has been uncertain. To get a better understanding of the pre-whaling numbers for one subspecies of gray whale, the researchers used DNA samples from the bones of eastern Pacific gray whales that lived between 150 and 2,500 years ago and compared the results with the genomes of modern whales.

"In this case, we were able to look at pre-whaling specimens of gray whales, and found that the genetic data are consistent with a sharp and recent bottleneck — very likely the result of commercial whaling," study researcher Elizabeth Alter, of City University of New York, York College, said in a statement.

Read more:  http://www.livescience.com/20199-whale-population-ancient-dna.html