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Lazarus Taxon

All articles tagged with #lazarus taxon

science16 days ago•16 min saved

Rope, Canyon, and a Living 90-Million-Year-Old Pine

In 1994 a NSW park officer abseiled into a Blue Mountains canyon and found Wollemia nobilis, a conifer known only from 90-million-year-old fossils, making it a Lazarus taxon. Today fewer than about 100 wild trees survive across four canyon sites, with a secret wild location protected to guard against pathogens. Conservation relies on nursery propagation and living collections worldwide to act as an insurance policy against wildfire and disease; genetic studies have revealed limited wild variation, while threats include Phytophthora fungi and fire, which spared the grove during the 2020 Gospers Mountain fire but continues to necessitate careful management.

via Space Daily|

#conservation #dilwynites #lazarus-taxon

paleontology2 years ago•3 min saved

The Last Primate of North America: A Fascinating Tale

Researchers have discovered the origins of a 30-million-year-old primate lineage called Ekgmowechashala philotau, which appeared in North America millions of years after the presumed extinction of all other known primates on the continent. The primate is considered a "Lazarus" species, named after biblical Lazarus, as it reappeared long after its presumed extinction. The study confirms that Ekgmowechashala migrated from Asia to North America during a cool period, most likely via the land bridge Beringia. The researchers established a close phylogenetic relationship between Ekgmowechashala and the Asian primate species Palaeohodites naduensis, confirming the North American primate's origins. This discovery sheds light on the evolutionary history of primates in North America.

via Gizmodo|

#evolution #fossils #lazarus-taxon