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dirtydog · 30-07-2010, 11:13 AM

Australia's marsupials 'have American roots'

The characteristic koalas, kangaroos, possums and wombats of Australia share a common American ancestor, according to genetic research from Germany.

A University of Muenster team drew up a marsupial family tree based on DNA.

Writing in the Public Library of Science (PLoS) Biology journal, they suggest a single marsupial species moved from the Americas to Australia.

Marsupials differ from other mammals in that mothers carry their young in a pouch after birth.

As well as the familiar Australian species, the family includes the opossums and shrew opossums of North and South America, and also has a presence in Asian countries including Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.

"I think this is pretty strong evidence now for the hypothesis of a single migration [to Australia] and a common ancestor," said Juergen Schmitz, one of the research team.
The research was made possible by the recent sequencing of genomes from two marsupials - the gray short-tailed opossum (Monodelphis domestica) from South America, and the Australian tammar wallaby (Macropus eugenii).

The Muenster researchers looked for DNA elements called retroposons.

These are fragments that have been copied and inserted back into DNA in a random fashion at some point during the animal's evolutionary history.

They are among the "jumping genes" that can scatter genetic information along the genome.

If two species carry the same retroposon but a third does not, that indicates that the first two are more closely related to each other than they are to the third.

Sometimes one retroposon is inserted in the middle of another, again giving vital clues as to the sequence of events in a family's evolution.

Using this method, they showed that the American opossums separated from the main lineage first.

The most distant marsupial relatives are the opossums of the Americas

Then at some stage an ancestral species migrated to Australia and gave rise to the various families found there now.

When exactly this happened is still unknown, as this kind of analysis does not show when in evolutionary time the retroposons were inserted.

"Maybe it's around 30-40 million years ago, but we cannot say because jumping genes do not give this information," Dr Schmitz told BBC News.

"It's now up to other people, maybe from the palaeontology field, to find out when exactly it happened."

The overall marsupial history is virtually a circular migration.

The earliest identified species (Sinodelphys szalayi) is known from 125-million-year-old fossils found in China.

Subsequently the family - or perhaps a single species - moved across the super-continent of Gondwana into what is now South America.

The marsupial family began expanding about 70-80 million years ago.

After crossing into Australia, they penetrated north into the Indonesian archipelago - almost returning to their Chinese homeland.

BBC News - Australia's marsupials 'have American roots'

sabang · 30-07-2010, 11:45 AM

We invented Rupert Murdoch. Then exported him.

bobo746 · 30-07-2010, 11:55 AM

what about me ??????????????????????? i'm crushed

withnallstoke · 30-07-2010, 11:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bobo746

what about me

Quote:

Originally Posted by dirtydog

Sometimes one retroposon is inserted in the middle of another

Have you had a retroposon inserted?

Davis Knowlton · 30-07-2010, 12:11 PM

I used to think Abo's were uniquely Australian, until our President's wife came along.................

graym · 30-07-2010, 12:25 PM

What about their ridiculous interrogative inflection???

The (Australian) Interrogative Inflection is equivalent to whining? Yes!

9999 · 30-07-2010, 12:26 PM

We also have ancestors of a lot of flora from South America, going back to the tme of 'Gondwana'. There's even a native Aussie plant that can be refined to make cocaine.

9999 · 30-07-2010, 12:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by graym

What about their ridiculous interrogative inflection???

The (Australian) Interrogative Inflection is equivalent to whining? Yes!

Jesus Christ that bloke's highly strung eh? Reckon he aint been laid in a while eh? must have a wife with a crook head on it eh? Tell the Dr to take a chill pill eh?

Red dragon · 30-07-2010, 01:18 PM

Even the Australian Prime Minister is from Wales

Thaiguy · 30-07-2010, 01:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 9999

We also have ancestors of a lot of flora from South America, going back to the tme of 'Gondwana'. There's even a native Aussie plant that can be refined to make cocaine.

You don't suppose it could have happened the other way around ?
Australia first then America later?

Thaiguy · 30-07-2010, 01:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by graym

What about their ridiculous interrogative inflection???

The (Australian) Interrogative Inflection is equivalent to whining? Yes!

Would you happen to be English ?
Have you ever heard of the genesus known as the "whingeing Pom" ?
Being a dumb Aussie could you please explain "Interrogative Inflection"?

Thaiguy · 30-07-2010, 01:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Red dragon

Even the Australian Prime Minister is from Wales

Can we give her back and the other Pommy born prick as well ?

Mr Lick · 30-07-2010, 02:20 PM

No, we don't want our criminals returned to us! Bloody hell, we sent them as far away as possible and now the buggers have a cheek to get on a plane and try to gain re-entry!

Stop immigration into the UK for Aussies and stop it now!!!

Abbo's are ok though!!

Little Chuchok · 30-07-2010, 02:40 PM

^Yep, Aussie is famous for Convicts.

Thaiguy · 30-07-2010, 03:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Little Chuchok

^Yep, Aussie is famous for Convicts.

True - and beer , beaches and bitches - if we could only get rid of those whingeing pommy bastards things would be good .
( their family background comes from the greedy gutless land grabbing pieces of crap holding control at the time of the Irish atrocities - had to send the convicts here because they were too honest and moral to remain in sight and embarass the ruling aristocracy!)
Shame shame you pommy bastards. - ( never lead with your chin Sunshine )

Little Chuchok · 30-07-2010, 03:14 PM

^Well, they can't have been too bright, 'cause they were caught.

Oh...also famous for Rolf Harris....

FailSafe · 30-07-2010, 03:19 PM

There's that Crocodile Dundee guy, and Yahoo Serious...

Bazzy · 30-07-2010, 03:24 PM

Good try at baiting me DD but if the best you have is squirrels and hedgehogs....

superman · 30-07-2010, 03:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dirtydog

Australia not famous for anything

Terry 57 must come close to being unique ?

Mr Lick · 30-07-2010, 04:23 PM

Yes, the great Rolf Harris, plus a few more -
Sir Les Patterson, (Barry Humphries- saw him live once in a one man show in the 80's, quite brilliant)
Stevo - RIP,
Sir Donald Bradman
Herb Elliott
Errol Flynn - Actor and shagger
Germaine Greer - Feminazi
Rod Laver - the greatest of them all
The Minogue sisters - lovely bottoms
Shane Warne - lovely googlies
Evonne Gooly-gone - 59 this year, crikey!
Captain Thunderbolt - EH???
The fearsome Dennis Lillee

Probably a few more that made Oz great but had to google them

Stand proud all you Aussies, stand proud!

30-07-2010, 11:13 AM	#1 (permalink)
dirtydog The Dog Last Online: Today 07:15 AM Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Pattaya Jomtien Posts: 48,670	Australia not famous for anything Australia's marsupials 'have American roots' The characteristic koalas, kangaroos, possums and wombats of Australia share a common American ancestor, according to genetic research from Germany. A University of Muenster team drew up a marsupial family tree based on DNA. Writing in the Public Library of Science (PLoS) Biology journal, they suggest a single marsupial species moved from the Americas to Australia. Marsupials differ from other mammals in that mothers carry their young in a pouch after birth. As well as the familiar Australian species, the family includes the opossums and shrew opossums of North and South America, and also has a presence in Asian countries including Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. "I think this is pretty strong evidence now for the hypothesis of a single migration [to Australia] and a common ancestor," said Juergen Schmitz, one of the research team. The research was made possible by the recent sequencing of genomes from two marsupials - the gray short-tailed opossum (Monodelphis domestica) from South America, and the Australian tammar wallaby (Macropus eugenii). The Muenster researchers looked for DNA elements called retroposons. These are fragments that have been copied and inserted back into DNA in a random fashion at some point during the animal's evolutionary history. They are among the "jumping genes" that can scatter genetic information along the genome. If two species carry the same retroposon but a third does not, that indicates that the first two are more closely related to each other than they are to the third. Sometimes one retroposon is inserted in the middle of another, again giving vital clues as to the sequence of events in a family's evolution. Using this method, they showed that the American opossums separated from the main lineage first. The most distant marsupial relatives are the opossums of the Americas Then at some stage an ancestral species migrated to Australia and gave rise to the various families found there now. When exactly this happened is still unknown, as this kind of analysis does not show when in evolutionary time the retroposons were inserted. "Maybe it's around 30-40 million years ago, but we cannot say because jumping genes do not give this information," Dr Schmitz told BBC News. "It's now up to other people, maybe from the palaeontology field, to find out when exactly it happened." The overall marsupial history is virtually a circular migration. The earliest identified species (Sinodelphys szalayi) is known from 125-million-year-old fossils found in China. Subsequently the family - or perhaps a single species - moved across the super-continent of Gondwana into what is now South America. The marsupial family began expanding about 70-80 million years ago. After crossing into Australia, they penetrated north into the Indonesian archipelago - almost returning to their Chinese homeland. BBC News - Australia's marsupials 'have American roots' __________________ To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

30-07-2010, 04:23 PM	#20 (permalink)
Mr Lick Tongue and Groove Devotee Last Online: Today 10:07 AM Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Mountain view Posts: 2,439	Yes, the great Rolf Harris, plus a few more - Sir Les Patterson, (Barry Humphries- saw him live once in a one man show in the 80's, quite brilliant) Stevo - RIP, Sir Donald Bradman Herb Elliott Errol Flynn - Actor and shagger Germaine Greer - Feminazi Rod Laver - the greatest of them all The Minogue sisters - lovely bottoms Shane Warne - lovely googlies Evonne Gooly-gone - 59 this year, crikey! Captain Thunderbolt - EH??? The fearsome Dennis Lillee Probably a few more that made Oz great but had to google them Stand proud all you Aussies, stand proud! Last edited by Mr Lick : 30-07-2010 at 04:29 PM.

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30-07-2010, 11:45 AM	#2 (permalink)
sabang Go ask Alice Last Online: Today 10:04 AM Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: There Posts: 14,593	We invented Rupert Murdoch. Then exported him.

30-07-2010, 11:55 AM	#3 (permalink)
bobo746 Golden Triangle Last Online: Today 10:18 AM Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: BRISVEGAS Posts: 796	what about me ??????????????????????? i'm crushed

30-07-2010, 12:11 PM	#5 (permalink)
Davis Knowlton Philippine Expat Last Online: Today 10:12 AM Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Philippines Posts: 1,833	I used to think Abo's were uniquely Australian, until our President's wife came along.................

30-07-2010, 12:25 PM	#6 (permalink)
graym Mae Sai Last Online: 01-09-2010 08:25 AM Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Krabi Posts: 372	What about their ridiculous interrogative inflection??? The (Australian) Interrogative Inflection is equivalent to whining? Yes!

30-07-2010, 12:26 PM	#7 (permalink)
9999 3 Pagoda Pass Last Online: Yesterday 02:23 PM Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Chiang Mai Posts: 598	We also have ancestors of a lot of flora from South America, going back to the tme of 'Gondwana'. There's even a native Aussie plant that can be refined to make cocaine.

30-07-2010, 01:18 PM	#9 (permalink)
Red dragon Thailand Expat Last Online: Today 03:42 AM Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: In Mourning Posts: 1,076	Even the Australian Prime Minister is from Wales

30-07-2010, 02:20 PM	#13 (permalink)
Mr Lick Tongue and Groove Devotee Last Online: Today 10:07 AM Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Mountain view Posts: 2,439	No, we don't want our criminals returned to us! Bloody hell, we sent them as far away as possible and now the buggers have a cheek to get on a plane and try to gain re-entry! Stop immigration into the UK for Aussies and stop it now!!! Abbo's are ok though!!

30-07-2010, 02:40 PM	#14 (permalink)
Little Chuchok Thailand Travel Forum Last Online: Yesterday 07:05 PM Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 5,483	^Yep, Aussie is famous for Convicts.

30-07-2010, 03:14 PM	#16 (permalink)
Little Chuchok Thailand Travel Forum Last Online: Yesterday 07:05 PM Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 5,483	^Well, they can't have been too bright, 'cause they were caught. Oh...also famous for Rolf Harris....

30-07-2010, 03:19 PM	#17 (permalink)
FailSafe Excitable Boy Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Generally Left of Center Posts: 1,126	There's that Crocodile Dundee guy, and Yahoo Serious...

30-07-2010, 03:24 PM	#18 (permalink)
Bazzy Railay Beach Last Online: Today 09:00 AM Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 119	Good try at baiting me DD but if the best you have is squirrels and hedgehogs....

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