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Ancient DNA shows penguin recovery

Ancient penguin DNA shows that Macquarie Island penguins have recovered genetic diversity in the past 80 years.

Macquarie Island penguins were exploited by humans for the blubber trade from the late 19th century onwards, severely affecting population of penguins on the island.

Comparing DNA from modern birds to DNA from an ancient population showed that human conversation efforts have help the penguin population on Macquarie Island expand. The modern population is closely related, but shows similar genetic diversity to penguins before human exploitation.

Read more at Griffith University

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