BEIJING, Dec. 17 (UPI) -- Chinese scientists say genetic study of the giant panda's population history shows human activities are behind recent population divergence and serious decline.
Researchers at the Institute of Zoology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the BGI genomics research institute said a population history of the giant panda from its origin to the present suggests that while global climate changes were the primary drivers in panda population fluctuation for millions of years, human activities have had a greater recent impact.