Mid-Pliocene warm-period deposits in the High Arctic yield insight into camel evolution

Title	Mid-Pliocene warm-period deposits in the High Arctic yield insight into camel evolution
Authors	Natalia Rybczynski, John C. Gosse, C. Richard Harington, Roy A. Wogelius, Alan J. Hidy, Mike Buckley
Magazine	Nature Communications
Date	03/05/2013
DOI	10.1038/ncomms2516
Introduction	During the mid-Pliocene, global warmth preceded Quaternary glaciations. Cosmogenic nuclide dating reveals that fossil-rich deposits, including subfossil trees and Pliocene ice wedge casts in Canada's High Arctic, originated in this period. These deposits align with heightened insolation in high latitudes, supporting a boreal forest. Evidence of a High Arctic camel, identified through collagen fingerprinting of fossil bones, reveals camels' North American origins and migration to Eurasia. This suggests modern camels evolved from large ancestors in Arctic forests.
Quote	Natalia Rybczynski, John C. Gosse and C. Richard Harington et al. Mid-Pliocene warm-period deposits in the High Arctic yield insight into camel evolution. Nat Commun. 2013. Vol. 4:1550-. DOI: 10.1038/ncomms2516
Topics	Environmental and Green Materials