Using ancient DNA recovered from a fossil bone, scientists have reconstructed a complete genome of the little bush moa, an extinct species of flightless bird that once roamed the forested islands of New Zealand.
The work allowed the scientists to determine the bird’s likely population size, and even suggests that the moa’s eyes could detect ultraviolet light.
The moas made their homes in the island’s dense forests and grasslands as recently as 700 years ago.
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