Instead, estimates are based mainly on the size and variability of past populations in a specific area. (scientificamerican.com)
Another favorite example of Smyth's is how geneticists are helping estimate past population sizes of whales to help manage and conserve current populations. (scientificamerican.com)
Using genetic techniques for the first time to estimate past populations, Stephen Palumbi of Stanford University and Joe Roman of Harvard University concluded that the oceans were once filled with 10 times more great whales than historical records indicate. (discovermagazine.com)