A panda enjoys a shower at Beijing Zoo, May 14, 2018. The temperature in Beijing rose to 34 Celsius on Monday, making it the hottest day this year. Breeders shower pandas and spray the catteries of pandas several times a day to create a cool living environment. [Photo/VCG] WASHINGTON -- Chinese scientists have found an ancient panda, belonging to a distinct group not found today, separated from present-day pandas 144,000 to 227,000 years ago. In a study published on Monday in the journal Current Biology, they analyzed ancient mitochondrial (mt) DNA isolated from a 22,000-year-old panda found in Cizhutuo Cave in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region in South China, a place where no pandas live today and revealed a new lineage of giant panda. The newly sequenced mitochondrial genome represents the oldest DNA evidence from pandas, according to the study. Using a single complete mtDNA sequence, we find a distinct mitochondrial lineage, suggesting that the Cizhutuo panda, while genetically more closely related to present-day pandas than other bears, has a deep, separate history from the common ancestor of present-day pandas, said Fu Qiaomei from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Little has been known about pandas' past, especially in regions outside of their current range in Shaanxi, Gansu and Sichuan provinces in China. Evidence suggested that pandas in the past were much more widespread, but it's been unclear how those pandas were related to pandas of today. In the new study, the researchers used sophisticated methods to fish mitochondrial DNA from the ancient cave specimen. That's a particular challenge because the specimen comes from a subtropical environment, which makes preservation and recovery of DNA difficult. The researchers successfully sequenced nearly 150,000 DNA fragments and aligned them to the giant panda mitochondrial genome reference sequence to recover the Cizhutuo panda's complete mitochondrial genome. They then used the new genome along with mitochondrial genomes from 138 present-day bears and 32 ancient bears to construct a family tree. Their analysis showed that the split between the Cizhutuo panda and the ancestor of present-day pandas went back about 183,000 years. The Cizhutuo panda also possesses 18 mutations that would alter the structure of proteins across six mitochondrial genes. The researchers said those amino acid changes may be related to the ancient panda's distinct habitat in Guangxi or perhaps climate differences during the Last Glacial Maximum. The findings suggested that the ancient panda's maternal lineage had a long and unique history that differed from the maternal lineages leading to present-day panda populations. According to the researchers, their success in capturing the mitochondrial genome also suggested that they might successfully isolate and analyze DNA from the ancient specimen's much more expansive nuclear genome. Comparing the Cizhutuo panda's nuclear DNA to present-day genome-wide data would allow a more thorough analysis of the evolutionary history of the Cizhutuo specimen, as well as its shared history with present-day pandas, Fu said. custom picture charm braceletssilicone wristbands canadaanimal bracelets rubber bandsdifferent rubber band braceletscustom made bracelets for her
A man passes a live telecast of Malaysia's Prime Minister Najib Razak addressing the nation on the dissolution of Parliament at an electronics shop in Port Klang, Malaysia April 6, 2018. [Photo/Agencies] KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said on Friday that the parliament will be dissolved on Saturday, paving way for the next general election to be held within 60 days in which he is seeking another mandate after holding the position for nine years. In a televised speech delivered after a special cabinet meeting, Najib said he already acquired the consent of King Sultan Muhammad V to dissolve the parliament. The date of polling day is yet to be announced by the Election Commission of Malaysia. Normally, a general election should be held no later than two months after the dissolution of the parliament. Voters will elect the 222-member Dewan Rakyat, or House of Representatives. Najib, who heads the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), the largest political party, in the speech laid out key achievements during his tenure, including a 5.9 percent GDP growth in the last year, among the highest in the world, and 2.26 million jobs created. We have delivered and we will continue to deliver, said Najib, adding that if we won, we pledge that we will implement the best, implement bigger, more inclusive and comprehensive transformation for the people and the nation. For the past six decades after Malaysia's independence, UMNO has won every election together with the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition, which has the Malaysian Chinese Association and Malaysian Indian Congress as its two major component parties. This time Najib is facing the challenge of 92-year-old former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, who fell out with Najib over the 1MDB scandal and quit UMNO in 2016. He later joined the opposition alliance as the chairman of a new party called Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM). Mahathir has said he hoped that the Malay voters, traditionally the supporters of the ruling coalition, could turn to the opposition and change regime this time. But the authorities in charge of society registration issued an order on Thursday, asking PPBM to temporarily disband itself for failing to submit certain documents. Mahathir has vowed to challenge the decision, otherwise PPBM candidates will have to contest the parliament seats as individuals. In the last general election held in 2013, BN managed to win 133 out of the 222 seats, though it obtained less than half of the popular votes. Najib also suggested heads of state government to seek the consent from state heads to dissolve state legislature so that the election could be held concurrently in the country.
