News From the Field

Placental Mammal Diversity Exploded After Age of Dinosaurs


February 7, 2013

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Researchers have reconstructed the common ancestor of placental mammals--a diverse group including animals ranging from rodents to whales to humans--using the world's largest dataset of both genetic and physical traits. In research published in the journal Science, the scientists reveal that, contradictory to a commonly held theory, placental mammals did not diversify into their present-day lineages until after the extinction event that eliminated non-avian dinosaurs.Full Story

Source
American Museum of Natural History

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