The DNA analysis method does not destroy the object: you can study the oldest finds and leave them intact

The authors of the new work published their research in the international journal Molecular Ecology, where they presented

new method of DNA analysis. It can be used to analyze the remains of small vertebrates without damaging them.

With this method, it is easier to analyze materials from museum collections that are very small, as well as to examine more rare and valuable items.

Lachie Scarsbrook, lead author of the study

Recently sequenced DNA data has helped scientists understand how tectonic activity, climate change and anthropogenic impacts have affected the population of Duvausel's gecko (Hoplodactylus duvauceli).

There is a big difference between the gecko population andNorth and South Islands. The lizards were isolated for a long time until the Cook Strait appeared. But we still know very little about the South Island population.

Lachie Scarsbrook, lead author of the study

According to the authors, previously the bones of various geckosdifferentiated based on size. But based on CT scans and DNA studies, they were able to distinguish between different geckos only by tiny remains, the size of a drop of water.

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