Ancient DNA discovered in Greenland's permafrost reveals a warmer, lush landscaping existed there 2 million years ago, according to a study by researchers at the University of Copenhagen.
"The record shows an open boreal forest ecosystem with mixed vegetation of poplar, birch and thuja trees, as well as a variety of Arctic and boreal shrubs and herbs, many of which had not previously been detected at the site from macrofossil and pollen records," researchers said in their paper published in the Nature journal.
"The DNA record confirms the presence of hare and mitochondrial DNA from animals including mastodons, reindeer, rodents and geese, all ancestral to their present-day and late Pleistocene relatives. The presence of marine species including horseshoe crab and green algae support a warmer climate than today."
Axios noted that researchers took DNA from sediment samples taken from the Kap København Formation in northern Greenland. Fossils discovered a forest had existed two million years ago.
They compared those samples of ancient DNA and found 102 genera of plants and animals.
"It opens up a new possibility to mitigate the impact of climate change," study co-author Eske Willerslev said.
"It was super exciting when we recovered the DNA that a very, very different ecosystem appeared."
Jeffrey Rodack ✉
Jeffrey Rodack, who has nearly a half century in news as a senior editor and city editor for national and local publications, has covered politics for Newsmax for nearly seven years.
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