Scientists Sequence Sturgeon Genome

Recently, a team of scientists has successfully sequenced the genome of the sterlet (Acipenser ruthenus), a species of sturgeon.

Key Observations

• In terms of evolutionary history, sturgeons are one of the oldest species on earth and are the ancestors of more than 30,000 species of bony fish that we see today (more than 96 percent of all living fish species) and about half of all known vertebrates.
• Sturgeons branched off on their evolutionary path during the Upper Devonian or Carboniferous Period, about 345 million years ago.
• Since then, the study shows, their genetic material has changed very little. To confirm the ....