University of Sheffield - Big bird's cracking good tale

DNA has been extracted from the fossilised eggshell of the heaviest bird known to have existed, with the help of an academic from the University of Sheffield. Mike Parker Pearson, a professor at the university's archaeology department, found the eggshells while researching in Madagascar. An international team then discovered well-preserved DNA in the shells of the half-tonne elephant bird, which became extinct in about 1650. Professor Parker Pearson's team had been investigating its extinction, scouring the coastal dunes of the country for remains. A DNA profile will now be produced.