ULTRA-RARE 'ASIAN UNICORN' HAS GENOME SEQUENCED, AND IT COULD MEAN EVERYTHING

Summary from the TLDR newsletter

The saola is a bovine that hangs out in the mountainous forests of Vietnam and Laos. The species wasn't scientifically described until 1993 and has still never been seen in person by scientists or studied in the wild. It is a critically endangered species with an estimated population ranging from 50 to up to a few hundred individuals. An international team of scientists has reconstructed the saola genome, hinting at some potential good news for the chances of its conservation. The saola are split into two populations with considerable genetic differences, which means there may be enough genetic diversity to start working on building a captive breeding program.