A tiny mouse on the brink of extinction in coastal California may be able to adapt to a hotter world — though it might need a little help.
Genetic analyses of critically endangered Pacific pocket mice suggest the species has the genetic diversity to adapt to a changing climate, researchers report April 17 in Science Advances. But urbanization has isolated the remaining animals, and conservation efforts may be necessary to help spread genes linked to acclimation.
The range of the Pacific pocket mouse (Perognathus longimembris pacificus) once spanned the southern California coast from Los Angeles to Mexico. The critter went undetected for more than two decades but was rediscovered in the early