Molecules remodel the mammalian tree.
DNA sequences provide a direct record of the genealogy of extant species. This tremendous reservoir of phylogenetic information is only beginning to be exploited. If progress in molecular phylogeny is being made, it should be most conspicuous amongst mammals, as their evolution is probably the best-studied. Indeed, surprising changes have recently been proposed for the tree of mammalian orders. These range from grouping whales with hippos, to placing African golden moles closer to elephants than to their fellow insectivores.
Dept of Biochemistry, University of Nijmegen, PO Box 9101, 6500 HB Nijmegen, and the Institute for Systematics and Population Biology, University of Amsterdam, 1090GT Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
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de Jong