AEGIS featured in Swedish newspaper Dagens ETC

The feature explores how ancient environmental DNA could help identify the genetic adaptations that enabled plants and animals to survive past periods of climate change - and how these insights may contribute to developing more resilient crops for the future.

"We know that Earth has undergone many different climate changes in the past, even before humans existed, and that plants and animals adapted to new conditions. These mutations are nature's own solutions. Our best chance of coping with future climate change is to identify the mutations that were important during past warm periods," says Eske Willerslev in the article.

The article follows Eske from his early discovery that ancient DNA can be preserved in sediments to the ambitious goals of AEGIS, which brings together researchers across multiple countries to uncover nature's own evolutionary solutions to climate change.

The article also describes the role of AI and large-scale genomic analyses in identifying the mutations that could become part of tomorrow's toolbox for sustainable agriculture.

Read the original article in Swedish (subscription required) 

Image credit: Emma Larsson / Dagens ETC.