Using Advanced DNA Testing To Understand Our Earth’s Changing Climate Conditions

Ever wonder exactly what happened after the last ice age?  What whacked all those woolly mammoths, and gave rise to our modern-day large herbivores?

In particular, what were the consequences of a warming planet, and what can we learn that may be relevant to our current situation here today?  From last month’s edition of Science Magazine:  Now, ancient DNA data have entered the fray, most recently in the form of molecules scooped directly from samples of soil or ice. By sequencing whatever DNA emerges from even a thimbleful of ancient soil, researchers are reconstructing ancient ecosystems as far back as 700,000 years ago with astonishing clarity.