The phylogeny of straight-tusked elephants--an extinct elephant species that lived 30,000 years ago--has long puzzled researchers. Traditionally, these creatures have been assumed to be more closely related to Asian elephants as both exhibit high foreheads and double-domed skulls. However, genetic analysis of DNA from fossils of straight-tusked elephants reveals that they are more closely related to African elephants. DNA was extracted and analyzed from four straight-tusked elephant fossils ranging in age from 120,000-240,000 years. Due to the preservation of these fossils--in which the individual was covered with sediment quickly after death--researchers were able to extract DNA. This DNA was then compared to the three genomes of elephant species living today: African elephant, African forest elephant, and Asian elephant. This new phylogeny suggests that the African elephant lineage was not confined just to the continent of Africa in the past, as previously thought.You can find the article from ScienceNews here and the original journal article here
-Leanne Chambers
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