The Definitive Answer to the Evolutionary Timeline of Mammals: Research from Texas A&M School of Veterinary Medicine
Key Highlights :
The debate regarding the history of mammal diversification as it relates to the extinction of the non-avian dinosaurs has been a hot topic in the scientific community. However, a team of scientists from the Texas A&M School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences have put the debate to rest with their findings, providing a definitive answer to the evolutionary timeline of mammals over the last 100 million years.
Published in Science, the research is part of a series of articles released by the Zoonomia Project, a consortium of scientists from around the world. The project is utilizing the largest mammalian genomic dataset in history in order to determine the evolutionary history of the human genome in the context of mammalian evolutionary history.
Led by Dr. William J. Murphy, a professor in the Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, and Dr. Nicole Foley, an associate research scientist in Murphy's lab, the research is rooted in phylogeny, a branch of biology that deals with the evolutionary relationships and diversification of living and extinct organisms.
The research concluded that mammals began diversifying before the K-Pg extinction as the result of continental drifting, which caused the Earth's land masses to drift apart and come back together over millions of years. Another pulse of diversification occurred immediately following the K-Pg extinction of the dinosaurs, when mammals had more room, resources, and stability. This accelerated rate of diversification led to the rich diversity of mammal lineages—such as carnivores, primates, and hoofed animals—that share the Earth today.
The research team was able to identify which parts of genes can be manipulated and which parts cannot be changed without causing harm to the gene's function. This is important for human medicine, as it can help develop molecular therapies for diseases like Angelman Syndrome.
The Zoonomia Project is also helping to identify genetic adaptations in cats that could lead to therapeutic targets for cardiovascular disease in humans.
The research from the Texas A&M School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences is a crucial step in the Zoonomia Project’s goal of harnessing the power of comparative genomics as a tool for human medicine and biodiversity conservation. The findings provide a definitive answer to the evolutionary timeline of mammals and will help to further develop cures and treatments for ailments rooted in genetics.
