Conde Library: Evolution Case Study Task: Elephant

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A comprehensive genomic history of extinct and living elephants
Elephantids are the world’s most iconic megafaunal family, yet there is no comprehensive genomic assessment of their relationships. Earlier genetic studies modeled elephantid evolution via simple bifurcating trees, but here we show that interspecies hybridization has been a recurrent feature of elephantid evolution.

Do Elephants Have Knees? by Charles R. Ault; Charles R. Ault
ISBN: 9781501705861
Publication Date: 2016-08-15
Thinking whimsically makes serious science accessible. That's a message that should be taken to heart by all readers who want to learn about evolution. Do Elephants Have Knees? invites readers into serious appreciation of Darwinian histories by deploying the playful thinking found in children's books. Charles R. Ault Jr. weds children's literature to recent research in paleontology and evolutionary biology. Inquiring into the origin of origins stories, Ault presents three portraits of Charles Darwin--curious child, twentysomething adventurer, and elderly worm scientist. Essays focusing on the origins of tetrapods, elephants, whales, and birds explain fundamental Darwinian concepts (natural selection, for example) with examples of fossil history and comparative anatomy.

Elephant Genomes Reveal Accelerated Evolution in Mechanisms Underlying Disease Defenses.
Disease susceptibility and resistance are important factors for the conservation of endangered species, including elephants. We analyzed pathology data from 26 zoos and report that Asian elephants have increased neoplasia and malignancy prevalence compared with African bush elephants.