Woolly rhino genome recovered from meat inside frozen wolf pup

Scientists reconstructed a complete genome of a 14,400‑year‑old woolly rhinoceros from muscle tissue found in the stomach of a mummified wolf pup discovered in northeastern Siberia; the work was published in Genome Biology and Evolution.

Scientists reconstructed the full genome of a woolly rhinoceros from tissue preserved inside the gut of a mummified wolf pup. The pup was discovered in northeastern Siberia in 2011 by mammoth ivory hunters and is dated to about 14,400 years old. An autopsy found chunks of muscle with strands of hair that genetic analysis identified as woolly rhino tissue. The research team reports this is the first time a complete Ice Age animal genome has been recovered from material preserved inside another animal. Key details: - The wolf pup was found in permafrost and dated to about 14,400 years ago. - Undigested muscle and hair in the pup's stomach were analyzed and identified as belonging to a woolly rhinoceros (Coelodonta antiquitatis). - Researchers reconstructed the woolly rhino's complete genome from that tissue and published the findings in Genome Biology and Evolution. - The new genome was compared with two older woolly rhino genomes dated to about 18,000 and 49,000 years ago, showing similar levels of genetic diversity and inbreeding across those samples. - Study authors reported that the pattern suggests a relatively stable population in northeastern Siberia until near the time of the rhino's disappearance, and they noted the species' final decline aligns with a rapid warming period at the end of the last ice age. - Lead researchers named in coverage include Camilo Chacón-Duque, Sólveig Guðjónsdóttir, and Love Dalén. Summary: The team showed it is possible to extract a complete genome from tissue preserved inside another animal, expanding sources for ancient DNA. The genetic comparisons reported in the study indicate similar diversity across woolly rhino samples up to 49,000 years old and support the authors' view that the species' extinction near 14,400 years ago coincided with a period of abrupt climate warming. The method and publication in Genome Biology and Evolution were presented by the researchers as opening possibilities for genomic analysis of other unusual or preserved samples.