Ants 40 Million Years Older Than Previously Thought
Environment News Service, April, 2006
CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts (ENS) — --> Ants originated 140 to 168 million years ago, much earlier than previously believed, according to new research in this week's issue of the journal "Science."
To date the origin of ants, Harvard University biologists reconstructed the ant family tree using DNA sequencing of six genes from 139 representative ant genera, encompassing 19 of 20 ant subfamilies around the world.
Based on estimates drawn from numerous fossil records, the study shows that modern-day ants arose at least 40 million years earlier than previous estimates.
Led by biologists Corrie Moreau and Naomi Pierce of Harvard University, the researchers found that ants began to diversify only about 100 million years ago as flowering plants evolved along with...
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