The Signal — 2026-07-01 breakpoint #3
In other news, scientists have confirmed that the Himalayan pangolin is a distinct species, using DNA from a 19th-century museum specimen. Yes, a stuffed pangolin in a drawer held the key. The scales, as you know, make them unique—and also make them targets for poachers. But here's the delightful part: the specimen was collected by a British naturalist in 1850, and its DNA was extracted 170 years later. The pangolin itself is a midsize mammal that rolls into a ball when threatened. So we now have a new species, confirmed by a dead animal in a cabinet. Nature is weird. And slow.