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Severe declines of lion populations have been documented over the last century. Curry et al. (2020) used microsatellites & mtDNA to show a significant diversity ⬇️ in the nuclear genome & more structure (less gene flow) in modern compared to historic lion pops. doi.org/10.1093/molb... #2026MMM #RIP

Admixture plot showing different tiers of lion structure across continent. Each line represents an individual, and each color represents the ancestry likelihood of that individual. Dfiferent rows show results when data is clustered into different numbers of groups.

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Genomic work from de Manuel et al. revealed deep divergence (~70,000 years) between northern (including Asia, west, & north Africa) and southern (including south, east, & central Africa) lion lineages. Post split, these lineages have experienced gene flow. doi.org/10.1073/pnas... #2026MMM

Sample map (A) and phylogeny (B) of lion lineages. Phylogeny distinguish sourthern and northern lineages with the cave lion as a distant outgroup. Tree is rooted on the leopard (Panthera pardus). Values correspond to bootstraps.

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Fernino et al. (2013) studied DNA from trypanosomes affecting S. Am & African crocodilids (including Nile Croc). Results = SA & Afr croc trypanosomes show relationships consistent w/ 4-5 MY croc dispersal across Atlantic & then host switch to infect alligatorids! doi.org/10.1186/1756... #2026MMM

Phylogeographical analysis of South American alligatorid and African crocodilid trypanosomes: Phylogenetic relationships and geographical origin of trypanosomes from South American alligatorids, African crocodilids, and tsetse flies. ML phylogeny based on gGAPDH sequences (810 characters, –Ln = −10359.469307) from the trypanosomes nested into the Crocodilian clade (GenBank accession numbers are on Table 1), and trypanosomes from other hosts (GenBank accession numbers are within parenthesis on the tree). Numbers at nodes are bootstrap support >50% (P/ML) or Bayesian posterior probability > 0.25, derived from 500 replicates.

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Hippo DNA shows that they expanded across Africa in the Pleistocene when overflooding created a large network of lake and river systems in sub-Saharan Africa. Lack of geographical clustering in the haplotype network = recent population expansion. #2026MMM #RIP doi.org/10.1038/sj.h...

A statistical parsimony network showing relationships between hippopotamus mtDNA haplotypes from eastern and southern Africa. Haplotypes are represented as circles and squares for ancestral ones. The minimum number of steps connecting parsimoniously two haplotypes is indicated as a thick-black square, and a filled-small circle represents an extinct or missing haplotype that might have not been sampled. The size of the square or circle and pattern assigned correspond to the haplotype frequency and population, respectively, and numbers in haplotypes correspond to the number of individual sharing the haplotypes.

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Cetaceans & hippos are close relatives & some genes contribute to their aquatic adaptations. Cetaceans have 461 genes under pos selection while hippos have 64. The genes that evolved after the 2 groups split are involved in lipid metabolism, brain & muscle function. #2026MMM doi.org/10.1098/rsos...

Protein–protein interaction networks for 105 protein-coding gene products tested in both cetaceans and the hippo that were found to be under positive selection in cetaceans. Inset: protein–protein interaction networks for 20 protein-coding genes found to be under positive selection in the hippo. Nodes are labelled with the standard protein names, and the thickness of each connection represents the strength of support. (a) Highlights proteins involved in the circulatory system (red) and (b) highlights proteins involved in muscle (yellow) the nervous system (blue) or both (yellow with blue).

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Humpback whale 🧬 harbors clues about it's past. 🧬 patterns suggest that like its whale relatives, humpback whales had ⬆️ effective population sizes a few million yrs ago relative to today. It’s #️⃣s were approx stable 1 million➡️ ~30,000 yrs ago and then ⬇️ by 2/3 #2026MMM doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aap987

Reconstruction of historical effective population size (Ne) for all baleen whale genomes analyzed (humpback whale is colored in pink). Generation times (g) for each species are listed next to each species’ name. Light brown shading corresponds to interglacial periods (IG) in the Pleistocene and Holocene and gray shading corresponds to the mid-Pleistocene transition (MPT) and the Plio-Pleistocene transition (PPT).

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The extinction of Steller’s sea cow may be more complex than we thought. Ancient DNA reveals Steller’s Sea Cows were already in long-term decline before humans reached the Bering Sea, suggesting fur traders didn’t *start* the extinction, they just finished it. #RIP #2026MMM doi.org/10.1038/s414...

Figure with four panels illustrating the genomics and history of the extinct Steller’s sea cow. (A) Artistic reconstruction of 18th-century sailors from Vitus Bering’s 1741 expedition butchering sea cows on a shoreline. (B) Map of the Bering Sea region showing the species’ former Late Pleistocene range (yellow), archaeological sites with sea cow remains (red circles), and locations of the last known populations (blue circles). (C) Photograph of a pars petrosa of the petrous bone, used for ancient DNA extraction. (D) Graph of effective population size through time for Steller’s sea cow compared to dugong, woolly mammoth, and Lena horse, showing long-term population decline in the sea cow prior to the more recent extinction. Source: Sharko et al. (2021) Nature Communications.

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The extinct auroch was domesticated into modern cattle, but some modern cattle breeds are more genetically similar to the auroch. Park et all found modern British and Irish cattle are more similar to a 6,750-year-old British auroch than the other Eurasian breeds doi.org/10.1186/s130... #2026MMM

Geographic contour map of the genetic relation of the extinct aurochs genome admixture with European cattle breeds. Irish and English breeds are more admixed with the ancient auroch individual than any other breed in Europe.

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The enamelin (ENAM) gene is associated with tooth development in vertebrates. H. gigas harbors inactivating mutations in this gene, similar to birds, turtles, pangolins, & baleen whales, and analyses show signals of positive selection in the stem dugongid lineage. #2026MMM doi.org/10.1016/j.ym...

Time-calibrated phylogenetic tree of mammals highlighting the Sirenia (blue shaded box), including the extinct Steller’s Sea Cow (Hydrodamalis gigas), dugong (Dugong), and manatees (Trichechus). Divergence times (in millions of years) are shown at key nodes with red circles marking calibrated points. Sirenians cluster with elephants (Loxodonta, Elephas) and hyraxes (Procavia, Heterohyrax) within Afrotheria. Within Sirenia, Hydrodamalis and Dugong form a close lineage (dugongids), separate from manatees. This evolutionary context helps interpret genetic changes such as the loss of enamel-related genes (like ENAM) in the Steller’s Sea Cow and their evolution within Afrotheria.

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The group who originally generated the draft Gila monster genome is now working a complete genome sequence for this wonderful creature, sequencing every base from telomere to telomere. #2026MMM #RIP

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The first draft of the Gila monster genome was used to study whether there is equal expression of genes on the Z chromosome between males (who have two Z chromosomes) and females (who have a single Z chromosome). academic.oup.com/gbe/article/... #2026MMM

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Anne Stone @acstone.bsky.social · 25/03/2026

Honey badger is one of the species sequenced as part of the Zoonomia project, in an effort to better understand evolutionary constraint, and novel evolutionary genetics. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... #2026MMM

Comparing genomes from 240 species to explore the evolution of placental mammals. The new phylogeny (black lines) has alternating gray and white shading, which distinguishes mammalian orders (labeled around the perimeter). Rings around the phylogeny annotate species phenotypes. Seven species with diverse traits are illustrated, with black lines marking their branch in the phylogeny. Sequence conservation across species is described at the top left. IMAGE CREDIT: K. MORRILL

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Congrats to former Stone lab grad student @marioapata.bsky.social who won the AAAG postdoc presentation prize at the @bioanth.org meetings in Denver last week! #AABA2026

Mario Apata and Anne Stone at the AABA meetings in Denver.

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Anne Stone @acstone.bsky.social · 24/03/2026

Today is World TB day! To learn more see www.who.int/campaigns/wo... Yes! We can end TB! But support for Science and Treatment is key! #endTB

Infographic from WHO that says "Tuberculosis is the world's top infectious killer. TB caused 1.23 million deaths in 2024. Ending TB is possible. Fund it, research it, commit to it."

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Anne Stone @acstone.bsky.social · 22/03/2026

Exhausted but enjoying a great day skiing with friends after the #AABA2026 conference in Denver! Thanks all for a wonderful conference!

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Come see Maggie’s poster #AAPA2026 today (P8-4)!

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Great talk by my former PhD student @marioapata.bsky.social at the #AABA2026 meeting!

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It's #SunDevilGiving day at #ASU! Please consider supporting @evmedasu.bsky.social at tinyurl.com/yfab58n7! Donations will be matched (up to $2k!) and any gift is appreciated!

Picture of two researchers in the Huijben and Paaijmans labs who study resistance in mosquitos (that can spread diseases like malaria and West Nile virus). The caption says "I support ASU because the Center for Evolution and Medicine is bridging the gap between biology and medicine while empowering tomorrow's game changers by building a generation of future researchers and health professionals.

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Great plenary lecture, "Calories in, Calories Out: Energy, Ecology and Evolution in Humans and other Primates" by Herman Pontzer (happening now at #AABA2026)! A wonderful way to open the first day of talks!

Anne Stone and Herman Pontzer at the AABA meetings in Denver just before Herman's plenary lecture.

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Closest relative of the Falkland Islands Wolf (Dusicyon australis)? ➡️ The also-extinct pampas wolf (D. avus). Lineages split 16K years ago. Ancient DNA from both species helped reconstruct their evolutionary history... and remind us they’re gone forever. #RIP #2026MMM www.nature.com/articles/nco...

Time-calibrated phylogenetic tree showing relationships between the extinct pampas wolf (Dusicyon avus) and the Falkland Islands Wolf (D. australis). Branches for D. avus are shown in orange and those for D. australis in red. Multiple ancient samples from each species cluster into two separate clades. The horizontal axis shows time in thousands of years before present (ka), from ~30 ka on the left to the present on the right. The two species are estimated to have diverged about 16,000 years ago. Additional gray bars show uncertainty in divergence times within each species. Source: Figure 3 of Austin et al. (2013) "The origins of the enigmatic Falkland Islands wolf" https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms2570/figures/3

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What we call “weasels” is a taxonomic group that includes stoats, polecats, ermines, mink, ferrets and SOME weasels, in the genus Mustela. The rest form their own taxonomic group called the “American Weasels” in the genus Neogale (including the extinct sea mink) doi.org/10.1186/1741... #2026MMM

Phylogenetic tree of Mustelidae, most species in the genus Mustela groups on their own - but a few group outside closer to the American mink, these are the "American Weasels"

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How did the Wolf reach the Falkland Islands? #2026MMM DNA evidence shows its lineage diverged from mainland relatives 330K years ago, long before humans reached the region. The wolves may have reached the islands by rafting on debris or crossing glacial ice from Patagonia. doi.org/10.1016/j.cu...

Time-calibrated phylogenetic tree of canids highlighting the position of the Falklands Wolf (Dusicyon australis). The tree shows that the Falkland Island Wolf clusters with the South American canids (including last 2025MMM combatant the maned wolf) rather than with Canis species or the red fox. Multiple Falklands Wolf samples form a tight clade. Branch lengths are scaled in millions of years before present, with divergence of major South American lineages occurring roughly 10-12 million years ago. A green shaded vertical band marks the formation of the Isthmus of Panama (~3 million years ago). Colored bars indicate phylogenetically informative polymorphisms shared by the Falklands Wolf, and a purple arrow marks the absence of a genetic insertion characteristic of South American foxes. Numbers at nodes indicate support values from the statistical analyses. Illustrations of representative canid species appear alongside the tree.

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Caribbean monk seal ancient DNA tells us they split from the Pacific monk seal right before the formation of the Isthmus of Panama. At some stage, seals were unable to mate across the Panama Arc possibly due to dangerous currents or lack of suitable habitats doi.org/10.1007/s002... #2026MMM #RIP

A DNA phylogeny of the extinct and living seals, including the extinct Caribbean monk seal which is grouped closest to the endangered Pacific monk seal, and then the critically endangered Mediterranian monk seal

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Hogg et al. (2023) sequenced DNA from Yallara museum specimens collected between 1895 & 1931, before the species vanished. Their analyses reveal population declines beginning 300K-4M years ago, coinciding with global cooling before the last glacial period. #2026MMM www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Graph showing changes in effective population size (y-axis) through time (x-axis) for two Australian marsupials: the Ninu (pink lines) and the Yallara (beige lines). Both species maintain relatively large populations deep in the past, followed by declines beginning hundreds of thousands to millions of years ago. A shaded gray region marks the last glacial period, and vertical gray lines indicates the estimated divergence time between these species, around 3 million years ago. Source: Hogg et al. (2023) "Extant and extinct bilby genomes combined with Indigenous knowledge improve conservation of a unique Australian marsupial".

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As Caribbean monk seals went extinct before DNA technology it was unclear how they were related to other seals. Through ancient DNA, Scheel et al found they are more related to Pacific rather than Mediterranean monk seals, & the three were their own branch of seals doi.org/10.3897/zook... #2026MMM

Map showing the habitats of the Mediterranian Monk seal, the Pacific Monk seal, and the extinct Caribbean Monk seal. None of their habitats overlap.

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Using a combination of available DNA markers, Teeling et al grouped the NZ Greater Short-tailed bats with the bulldog bats, a family of South American bats; and proposed their ancestors originated in Australia and dispersed to NZ and SA respectively doi.org/10.1016/S105... #2026MMM #RIP

The maximum likelihood tree placing Mystacinidae in the same clade as Noctilionidae, a South American family of bats.

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Mystacina only had two species before one went extinct in 1965 but their placement in the bat tree of life is a difficult problem for biologists, even with the use of DNA doi.org/10.1006/mpev... #2026MMM

The support/conflict spectrum. The splits are numbered according number of data points supporting a specific split against those conflicting with it based on multiple trees. This can be misleading, however, as long terminal branches like Mystacina are conflicted because they are so unique and different relative to any other species.

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The wild ancestor of the dromedary camel vanished a few thousand years ago, but its domesticated descendants survive in captivity. Genetic studies point to mitochondrial genes ATP6 and CYTB as candidates for metabolic adaptations to harsh desert environments. #2026MMM doi.org/10.3390/ani1...

Circular map of the mitochondrial genome of Camelus dromedarius. Colored segments around the circle mark different mitochondrial genes, including protein-coding genes (such as ATP6 and CYTB) thought to be involved in adaptation.

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However, Martinique Giant Rice Rats were extinct by around 1900 thanks to the introduction of mongoose predators and Mount Pelée erupting. Analysis of DNA + morphology show M. desmarestii sister to M. luciae from St. Lucia, which went extinct at the same time #2026MMM #RIP doi.org/10.1111/j.10...

Phylogenetic relationships of West Indian oryzomyines. Consensus cladogram of four most-parsimonious trees (tree length, L = 1245; consistency index, CI = 0.37; retention index, RI = 0.64) of combined molecular (Irbp) and morphological characters. Jackknife (> 50%) and Bremer (> 1) nodal support indices are shown above and below branches, respectively. Clades A, B, C, and D are the same as those recovered by Weksler (2006). Out-groups include Peromyscus maniculatus (Neotominae), Nyctomys sumichrasti (Tylomyinae), and Delomys sublineatus, Thomasomys baeops, and Wiedomys pyrrhorhinos (Sigmodontinae). Oryzomyine generic taxonomy follows that of Weksler et al. (2006).

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Martinique Giant Rice Rats (Megalomys desmarestii) were once abundant on this small island of the Lesser Antilles, as known from the fossil record, pre-Columbian archaeological middens, and accounts from from early colonizers, incl this drawing possibly from life #2026MMM doi.org/10.1111/j.10...

Map of the Windward and Leeward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, showing the distribution of extinct rice rats in Holocene archaeological sites (black stars) and Late Quaternary palaeontological sites (open circles), and islands from which rice rat species have been formally described. The modern-day sea level and 200 m isobath are both indicated, to show locations of shallow submarine banks that would have been exposed above water during Late Quaternary low sea-level stands, and which may have shared conspecific rice rat populations. Data from Pregill et al. (1994), Crock (2000), Newsom & Wing (2004), and LeFebvre (2007). -- and Martinique giant rice rat (‘Le rat pilori, Mus pilorides’), possibly drawn from life, from Gervais (1854: 411).

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We live in the post-genomic world but that technology is actually only been around for about 15 years so there is very little genome data for any species that went extinct before then. In 2007 Du et al make the first attempt at a genomic DNA library for the Baiji doi.org/10.2108/zsj.... #2026MMM

Sequence of the L. vexillifer alpha lactalbumin gene. The sequence is only about 3500 base pairs and the gene has four exons (shown in grey shading, with the amino acid sequence above).

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Why are so many island hutias extinct? Woods et al found that all island hutias were related and each island harbored a small population of a new species. Unfortunately that same isolation makes these species vulnerable to complete extinction #RIP doi.org/10.1093/molb... #2026MMM

A DNA phylogeny of the extinct and living hutias reveal they were all closely related. Today, there are 6 living and 5 extinct hutias, each used to live in their own Caribbean island.

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Humans can shape biodiversity as they move. Oswald et al used a combination of ancient DNA and radio carbon dates to reveal that Indigenous Lucayans introduced hutias into the Little Bahamas Bank from their original habitats in the Great Bahamas Bank doi.org/10.1038/s415... #2026MMM

Plotted radiocarbon dates (cal BP) for individual bones of hutia (Geocapromys ingrahami) from the Bahamian Archipelago. Samples on Eleuthera and New Providence in the Great Bahamas Bank all predate the black line at approximately 1,000 years BP, marks the time of colonization of the Bahamas Archipelago by the Lucayans. All other samples post-date 1000 years BP. Abaco is on the Little Bahamas Bank, Crooked Island is on the Crooked-Acklins Bank, Mayaguana was isolated through time, Providenciales is on the Caicos Bank .

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