It was hunted to extinction, but lack of genome diversity reduced any chance of survival
“Even if humans hadn’t hunted the Tasmanian tiger to extinction, its low genetic diversity may have naturally doomed the curious marsupial, researchers have found.
“We found that the thylacine had even less genetic diversity than the Tasmanian devil,” study researcher Andrew Pask, of the University of Connecticut, said in a statement. “If they were still be around today, they’d be at a severe risk, just like the devil.” “
The study was published Wednesday in the journal PLoS ONE.
By Jennifer Welsh, LiveScience
While the cheetah has almost as severe a restriction of genetic diversity and is not critically endangered (though it’s extremely difficult to breed in captivity, due to poor sperm counts and motility), this is always interesting. I wonder when their genetic bottleneck occurred?
Started in 2009, the portrait series “Picture an Arab Man” is part of a large body of work capturing semi-nude Arab men of diverse backgrounds. The project is meant to literally picture a new face for Arab males than the one we are so accustomed to perusing in the mainstream media. Breaking down stereotypes as to how Arabs have been represented in the West, as well as in the East, is one of the conceptual aims of this project. I attempt to do so by highlighting the sensual beauty of the Arab man, an unexplored aspect of their identity on the cusp of change in a society that reveres an out-dated form of hyper-masculinity. Moreover, it is an attempt to uncover and break the stereotypes imposed on the Arab male in a post 9/11 world, and provide an alternative visual representation of that identity.
Through “Picture an Arab Man”, I strive to do what I can to redefine the image of the Arab man for an audience so accustomed to one-dimensional stereotypes. Most importantly, I hope to properly represent my subjects as diverse and candid men whose only thing in common is their rich Middle Eastern heritage.