"The Impact of European Colonization on the Extinction of the Blue Antelope"
The blue antelope, a species related to the sable and roan antelope, became extinct around 1800, just 34 years after its scientific description. Researchers extracted a high-coverage genome from a museum specimen, revealing that the species had adapted to long-term low population size with no inbreeding or detrimental mutations. The study suggests that sudden human influence during European colonization likely played a central role in the extinction, despite the species' genomic adaptation. Additionally, two genes responsible for the blue pelt color were identified in the genome, shedding light on the species' unique characteristics.
