Beringia Centre Science Talks are back! Join us as we explore topics in archaeology, natural science, and palaeontology with experts from around the world.
For this talk, we’ll be joined by J. Camilo Chacón-Duque.
This #BCST will be livestreamed on Facebook and Zoom on Thursday February 19, 2026 at 11 am Yukon Time.
Pre-register for the Zoom webinar here.
Register for the Facebook livestream here.
About the Talk
Join us for a fascinating exploration into Ice Age ecology and extinction. In this talk, we’ll uncover how researchers reconstructed a high‑resolution genetic profile of a near‑extinction woolly rhinoceros using an unexpectedly preserved source: material recovered from the stomach of an Ice Age wolf that once preyed upon it.
You’ll learn why this discovery is scientifically unique, what makes the resulting data so valuable, and how these findings help us better understand the processes that led to the rhinoceros’s eventual extinction. We’ll also discuss the limitations of this type of evidence and what it can and cannot tell us about the past.
About the Speaker
Camilo is an evolutionary biologist specializing in ancient DNA and population genetics. He has dedicated a big part of his career to obtain and analyze genetic material from very challenging samples with the aim of characterizing the genetic diversity of extinct species to understand key evolutionary processes such as their extinction.
Read his latest paper: Genome Shows no Recent Inbreeding in Near-Extinction Woolly Rhinoceros Sample Found in Ancient Wolf's Stomach
