Lost history of Antarctica revealed in octopus DNA

Some 100,000 years ago, scientists believe Antarctica’s massive western ice sheet collapsed, temporarily opening waterways between a trio of seas surrounding the continent. New evidence for that scenario comes from a surprising source: octopus DNA. The ice sheet’s collapse allowed long-separated populations of Turquet’s octopus ( Pareledone turqueti ) to interbreed for thousands of years; when the sheet reformed, the animals were isolated once more, a story that has been recorded in the sea creatures’ genes , researchers report today in Science . The work also bolsters concerns that a large rise in sea level may be in our planet’s near future. “It’s a really creative approach” to uncovering Antarctica’s lost history, says Andrea Dutton, a geologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who studies ancient sea levels but was not involved in the study. About 129,000 to 116,000 years ago, a warm spell called the last interglacial gave our planet a brief break in between several million years of ice ages. The average temperature of the planet was about 0.5°C warmer than it is today—and climate projections predict it will be again within decades. The global sea level was also 5 meters to 10 meters higher than current levels. Many scientists believe the collapse of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet and consequent melting could have been a primary reason . Geological evidence suggests this collapse happ...
Source: Science of Aging Knowledge Environment - Category: Geriatrics Source Type: research