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Mysterious mouse mummies found atop lofty volcanoes

Naturally freeze-dried leaf-eared mice found above 6,000 metres show mammals can dwell at extraordinary heights.
  1. Anil Oza
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A brown mouse being held by a hand in a white leather glove.

The leaf-eared mouse can live on Andean summits where no plants grow. Credit: Marcial Quiroga-Carmona

Towering kilometres above sea level, the tops of the Andean volcanoes are extremely hostile to life. Temperatures there never rise above freezing, the air is so thin that breathing is difficult and there is a constant barrage of wind.

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doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-023-03282-1

References

  1. Storz, J. F. et al. Curr. Biol. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2023.08.81 (2023).

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  2. Storz, J. F. et al. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 117, 18169–18171 (2020).

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