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Summary:
Scientists have made an astounding breakthrough in the world of evolution. A team of 20 paleontologists and biologists, led by Dr. Alistair Evans of Monash University's School of Biological Sciences, have discovered that it takes somewhere around 24 million years for a mouse sized mammal to evolve to the size of an elephant. This is the first time any team of scientists have measured the evolution rate in large scale mammals. They also discovered that it takes much less time in the sense of the decrease rate as compared to growth rates. It only takes about 100,000 generations for a large scale mammal to evolve to a size that would fit in the dwarf category. The team looked at 28 different groups of mammals ranging from the past 70 million years such as whales, primates, and elephants. They determined what animals to use by taking samples from different continents and ocean basins. They discovered that the evolution size of whales occurred at twice the rate when compared to large land animals. They feel that this is due to the fact that it's easier to be big and live in the ocean, the water can hold the weight and can be easier for them to find food. The scientists were very surprised by the findings, they didn't think it could occur so fast. That probably explains why mammoths and hippos lived on islands.
Critique:
I thought this article was very interesting. I didn't even know that a species could evolve to different sizes. It's crazy how a mouse sized animal can evolve to the size of an elephant, that's huge!
Impact:
I think this discovery will help scientists better understand evolution in animals.
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