Mysterious Mummified Mice Perplex Scientists in High-Altitude Volcanoes
Scientists have discovered that mice are able to survive at extreme altitudes of 7,000 meters in the Andes, a range previously thought to be inhospitable to warm-blooded creatures. The mice were found to have evolved at high elevations and then migrated downward, challenging the belief that they were brought there by humans. Genetic research revealed that the mice's genetic makeup did not differ as much as expected between different elevations. The researchers are still unsure how the mice are able to survive in such extreme conditions, but it is believed they may be living off lichen.