The Mystery of the 'Living Fossil' Tree Frozen 66 Million Years Ago Finally Revealed

Misteri Pohon 'Fosil Hidup' yang Dibekukan 66 Juta Tahun Akhirnya Terungkap

The Mystery of the 'Living Fossil' Tree Frozen for 66 Million Years Finally Revealed

The Mystery of the 'Living Fossil' Tree Frozen for 66 Million Years is Finally Revealed

"In 1994, a group of climbers discovered a group of strange trees growing in a gorge in Wollemi National Park, about 100 kilometers west of Sydney, Australia. One of the climbers informed a park service naturalist, who then showed leaf specimens to a botanist."

Finally, it is known that the trees represent ancient species that have essentially frozen in time since dinosaurs inhabited the Earth.

The Mystery of the 'Living Fossil' Tree Frozen 66 Million Years Ago Finally Revealed

Source: Live Science

"Pinus Wollemi"

Referred to as a "living fossil" by some, the Wollemi pine (Wollemia nobilis) is almost identical to the preserved remnants that date back to the Cretaceous period (145 to 66 million years ago). Currently, there are only 60 trees of this species still alive in the wild, and these resilient survivors are threatened by wildfires in the area. Initially, it was believed that this tree went extinct about 2 million years ago.

The translation of "Para Ilmuwan dari Berbagai Negara" to English is "Scientists from Various Countries".

"Now, scientists from Australia, the United States, and Italy have decoded its genome, shedding light on its evolution and unique reproductive habits, as well as aiding conservation efforts. This paper was posted to the bioRxiv preprint database on August 24 and has not yet undergone peer review."

"Having 26 chromosomes, containing 12.2 billion impressive base pairs. Humans only have about 3 billion base pairs."

"But the very low genetic diversity indicates a bottleneck approximately 10,000 to 26,000 years ago."

Pohon-pohon yang tersisa tampaknya berkembang biak dengan mengkloning diri dengan teknik pencabangan, di mana tunas-tunas muncul dari pangkal dan menjadi pohon-pohon baru.

"The remaining trees seem to reproduce by cloning themselves using branching techniques, where shoots emerge from the base and become new trees."

"Their scarcity may be due to the high number of transposons, or "jumping genes," DNA sequences that can change their position within the genome. These elements are also responsible for genome size."
"The smallest plant genome and the largest plant genome almost have the same number of genes. The large size difference usually comes from transposons,"

"said Gerald Schoenknecht, director of the program for the National Science Foundation's Plant Genome Research Program."

"When transposons jump to new locations, they can alter the sequence of "letters" in the DNA molecule, thereby causing or reversing mutations in genes. They can carry functional DNA with them or change the DNA at the insertion site, and thus have a substantial impact on the evolution of an organism."

"If transposons cause harmful mutations, they may contribute to population declines triggered by climate change and other factors, researchers say. These stress conditions may cause plants to shift to clonal reproduction. Since the increase in transposons correlates with sexual reproduction, the shift to asexual reproduction may have reduced the potential for damaging mutations to occur."

"The paradox is that although trees still rely on sexual reproduction, transposons may play a role in enhancing genetic diversity and at least temporarily making trees more resilient to changing conditions."

"Source: Live Science"

“In 99% of all cases, mutations may not be a good idea,” “But over millions of years, the 1% that helps can advance this species. In this case, it may provide a slight advantage.”
The translation of "kata Schoenknecht." to English is "word Schoenknecht."

"Source: Live Science"

The translation of "Rentan Terhadap Penyakit" to English is "Vulnerable to Disease".

"Analyzing the genome has also revealed why the Wollemi Pine appears vulnerable to disease, particularly Phytophthora cinnamomi, a type of pathogenic water mold that causes drought disease. The disease resistance genes of the tree are suppressed by a type of self RNA associated with the development of broader leaves. Unlike most conifers, this tree has wide leaves."

"Thus, the evolution of broader leaves may have led to increased susceptibility to disease and opened up opportunities for the species against pathogen threats, which may have been inadvertently tracked by climbers who illegally visit protected areas."
"P. cinnamomi is commonly found on cultivated plants."

Source: Live Science

"Although there are only four small populations left in the wild, this pine has been widely produced by botanical gardens and other institutions as an effort to conserve it and study its unique biology."

"This species is considered critically endangered by the IUCN."

"Thus, the genomic analysis of the Wollemi pine is not merely an academic curiosity, but has serious implications for the survival of the species."

Source: Live Science

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The Mystery of the 'Living Fossil' Tree Frozen for 66 Million Years Finally Revealed

The Mystery of the 'Living Fossil' Tree Frozen for 66 Million Years is Finally Revealed

"Pinus Wollemi"

The translation of "Para Ilmuwan dari Berbagai Negara" to English is "Scientists from Various Countries".

"The remaining trees seem to reproduce by cloning themselves using branching techniques, where shoots emerge from the base and become new trees."

"The paradox is that although trees still rely on sexual reproduction, transposons may play a role in enhancing genetic diversity and at least temporarily making trees more resilient to changing conditions."

“In 99% of all cases, mutations may not be a good idea,” “But over millions of years, the 1% that helps can advance this species. In this case, it may provide a slight advantage.”The translation of "kata Schoenknecht." to English is "word Schoenknecht."

The translation of "Rentan Terhadap Penyakit" to English is "Vulnerable to Disease".

"Although there are only four small populations left in the wild, this pine has been widely produced by botanical gardens and other institutions as an effort to conserve it and study its unique biology."

"Thus, the genomic analysis of the Wollemi pine is not merely an academic curiosity, but has serious implications for the survival of the species."

“In 99% of all cases, mutations may not be a good idea,” “But over millions of years, the 1% that helps can advance this species. In this case, it may provide a slight advantage.”
The translation of "kata Schoenknecht." to English is "word Schoenknecht."