Category Archives: bioinformatics

Star Trek Discovery made a debunked genome sequence into a plot point — but that’s not nearly the worst biology goof in the franchise

Posted on 22 Oct, 2017 by Jeremy Yoder

Anyone who’s been anywhere near my Twitter feed in the last month knows I’m pretty darned happy with Star Trek: Discovery, the latest iteration of the five-decade-old science fiction franchise. Discovery manages to build something new with the key elements … Continue reading →

Posted in bioinformatics, genomics, horizontal gene transfer | Tagged , | 3 Comments

We have the technology. Is sequencing getting better, smaller, faster?

Posted on 21 Sep, 2017 by Kelle Freel

Okay, I know some version of the phrase “recent developments in rapid and affordable sequencing have made blah blah blah possible…” is something you’ve probably read 10,000 times. However, third-generation sequencing platforms have turned out to be pretty darn astounding. … Continue reading →

Posted in bioinformatics, evolution, fieldwork, genomics, methods, next generation sequencing | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Non-model organisms are so hot right now

Posted on 4 Aug, 2017 by Kelle Freel

What makes a model organism? Well, as the name suggests, they are widely studied and have been adapted to a vast array of common genetic techniques. A few of the most often utilized organisms, which you are most likely already … Continue reading →

Posted in bioinformatics, domestication, evolution, genomics, next generation sequencing, yeast | Tagged , | 1 Comment

The largest mammalian genome is not polyploid

Posted on 24 Jul, 2017 by Bryan McLean

Some 40 million years ago in South America, following the arrival of the common ancestor of caviomorph rodents from the Old World, big changes were afoot. Specifically, the caviomorph colonists were beginning to give rise to an extant evolutionary progeny … Continue reading →

Posted in adaptation, bioinformatics, genomics, RNAseq, transcriptomics | Leave a comment

Easily aggregate bioinformatic sample output with one tool

Posted on 3 Jul, 2017 by Elin Videvall

Today I’m going to write about one of my favorite bioinformatic tools, MultiQC. If you’ve used it, you know why, and if you haven’t, prepare to be amazed. Many bioinformatic software produce output on a per-sample basis. That is, you … Continue reading →

Posted in bioinformatics, next generation sequencing, software | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Shared patterns of genomic diversity across populations of distantly related taxa

Posted on 5 Jun, 2017 by Arun Sethuraman

Genomic diversity is shaped by the complex interplay between the effects of genetic drift and natural selection among populations. Several of these effects, especially those of linked selection at neutral sites, adaptive introgression, and barriers to migration (often called “genomic … Continue reading →

Posted in adaptation, bioinformatics, birds, evolution, genomics, population genetics, selection | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Mapping genomes and navigating behavior for wildlife conservation

Posted on 11 Apr, 2017 by Stacy Krueger-Hadfield

Virginia Aida wrote this post as a final project for Stacy Krueger-Hadfield’s Science Communication course at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She is currently evaluating a potential pharmacotherapy in traumatic brain injury and anticipates graduating with her MS in summer 2017.  Although she … Continue reading →

Posted in adaptation, association genetics, bioinformatics, blogging, conservation, domestication, evolution, natural history | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Small Molecules, Big Differences

Posted on 27 Mar, 2017 by Stacy Krueger-Hadfield

Mary Latimer wrote this post as a final project for Stacy Krueger-Hadfield’s Science Communication course at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She is a third year PhD student at UAB studying miRNAs and methionine restriction. Her hobbies include cats, netflix, … Continue reading →

Posted in bioinformatics, blogging, evolution, genomics, natural history, next generation sequencing, RNAseq | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Polyploidy in the era of GBS

Posted on 23 Mar, 2017 by Stacy Krueger-Hadfield

Ploidy, dear reader, is something that I think about literally all the time. It impacts every facet of my research from the field to the bench to the stats used to analyze data sets. It’s been simultaneously the greatest and the … Continue reading →

Posted in bioinformatics, evolution, genomics, haploid-diploid, Molecular Ecology, the journal, natural history, plants, speciation | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Molting on the molecular level: how blue crabs become soft-shell crabs

Posted on 21 Mar, 2017 by Stacy Krueger-Hadfield

Megan Roegner wrote this post as a final project for Stacy Krueger-Hadfield’s Science Communication course at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Megan spent her early years in Cape Town, South Africa playing in the tidal pools along the coast and developing … Continue reading →

Posted in bioinformatics, blogging, conservation, domestication, evolution, genomics, natural history | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment