Genome evidence shows Sumatran rhinos never recovered from Pleistocene period

Around 2011, it was expected that the Sumatran rhinoceros only had a population of about 200. Many are quick to blame recent human activities completely. While these activities drastically affect the rhinos,  a new study shows these rhinos were actually on a steady decline for quite a while. Researchers sequenced and analyzed the first Sumatran rhino genome recently and found that trouble for this species began around the middle of the Pleistocene period around one million years ago. The population of these rhinos peaked around 900,000 years ago and by about 12,000 years ago, these animals as well as many other mammals suffered. The most likely cause was global climate change. The seas rose and submerged the land bridges connecting islands to Asia. The habitat for these rhinos became fragmented and other pressures were put on them. The population bottomed out and never recovered. To come to this conclusion, an approach called pairwise sequential Markovian coalescent (PSMC) was used. This process makes it possible for one to elucidate population history off a genome from an animal. The research done by the team concluded that climate change in the past reduced genetic diversity of the rhinos. This then made them much more vulnerable to the pressures of more recent human activities. 

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/12/171214140457.htm



https://phys.org/news/2017-12-sumatran-rhinos-recovered-losses-pleistocene.html

Save The Northern White Rhino!

 

 In 2015 a group of scientists convened to discuss the imminent extinction of the northern white rhinoceros and the possibility of bringing the species back from the verge of extinction. A publication of this meeting is designed as part of the ongoing effort to raise awareness for the extinction crisis facing rhinos and many other species. Above, the northern white rhino is seen squaring up for a fight in Kenya. The northern white rhino is very uncommon, with only three living individuals left on this planet and could be considered doomed for extinction. But now researchers have proposed a road map for preserving such endangered species through techniques that use stem cells and assisted reproduction technology.

With the new methods proposed in this article, we could eliminate the chance of species extinction if the proper cell extraction techniques take place. If enough cells are found of already extinct species, possible re-population could even happen! Imagine the possibilities of cellular recovery if this method deems possible. This technique would open the door for so many branches of science and could lead to even more groundbreaking discoveries.