Man descended from early aardvark

Found : Man descended from early aardvark

EVERY mammal, including Man, is descended from a creature that was genetically similar to the modern aardvark, scientists have found.

The last common ancestor of the placental mammals lived about 100 million years ago and had a genetic profile that is closer to that of the African anteater than to any other species that survives today, according to new research.

Detailed analysis of the chromosomes of several representative species — including aardvarks, African and Asian elephants and human beings — has revealed that the aardvark has the greatest number of features in common with other mammals. That suggests that it is the closest living relative of our common ancestor — a kind of mammalian missing link.