Anonymous4 days ago
Scientists analyzing 13 ancient ground squirrel coprolites from Yukon permafrost have reconstructed 18 mitochondrial genomes spanning up to 700,000 years, including six woolly mammoths from different eras. The study, published in Nature Communications on June 9, 2026, reveals that the squirrels' scavenging habits turned their frozen burrows into rich archives of Pleistocene biodiversity — but questions remain about contamination controls, de-extinction applications, and indigenous consultation.