The Limited Times

Now you can see non-English news...

Evolutionary research: what the bridge lizard reveals about the secret of aging

2020-08-15T17:40:00.252Z


Researchers have deciphered the genome of New Zealand reptiles. The primeval animals once emerged from a catastrophe. Now they could help to better understand the course of life.


Icon: enlarge

Science object bridge lizard in New Zealand: three rows of teeth and a vertex eye directed towards the sky

Photo: Frans Lanting / National Geographic

Tuataras are in league with dark forces. Whenever one of the indigenous people in New Zealand comes across one of these primeval reptiles, he is scared. Because a Maori knows: Then there is disaster in the air.

Nicola Nelson has been researching the bridge lizards, as the tuataras are also called, for 30 years. The biologist at Victoria University in Wellington knows the Maori reaction: "When I hold one of these lizards out to them, many people just look away. In no case do they want to touch the animals," she says.

But as scary as the half a meter long Tuataras are to the Maori, they still enjoy great respect in New Zealand, they are considered a treasure of nature. Indeed, the science of the bridge lizards is not that dissimilar to that of the Maori. Tuatara animals are also of exceptional value to biologists, and the ominous is part of their nature. Because they emerged from the most devastating catastrophe that has ever happened to life on earth.

Mirror Plus

Good reading. Understand more.

Special reports, analyzes and background information on topics that affect our society - from reporters from all over the world.

Your advantages with SPIEGEL +:

  • Icon: Check

    Unrestricted access

    to all content on all your devices

    Exclusive content

    from the weekly magazine

  • Icon: Check

    Including digital edition

    of the weekly magazine

    Flexible term

    can be canceled at any time

  • Icon: Check

    Flexible term

    Cancel anytime online

    A price

    only € 19.99 per month

Start Free Month Buy Now Right Arrow Sign Up Now Right Arrow

Restore iTunes subscription

SPIEGEL + is processed via your iTunes account and paid for with a purchase confirmation. 24 hours before it expires, the subscription is automatically renewed for one month at the current price of € 19.99. You can cancel the subscription at any time in the settings of your iTunes account. In order to use SPIEGEL + outside of this app, you must link the subscription to a SPIEGEL ID account immediately after purchase. With the purchase you accept our general terms and conditions and privacy policy.

Source: spiegel

All tech articles on 2020-08-15

You may like

News/Politics 2024-03-28T12:45:23.812Z

Trends 24h

Tech/Game 2024-03-27T18:05:36.686Z

Latest

© Communities 2019 - Privacy

The information on this site is from external sources that are not under our control.
The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.