Category Archives: genomics

The Molecular Ecologist's Survey on High-Throughput Sequencing

Posted on 31 Mar, 2016 by Elin Videvall

Last week we updated the Field Guide to Next Generation DNA Sequencers to better reflect the sequencing techniques of 2016. The NGS Field Guide is one of the most popular resources on the Molecular Ecologist web site, but we don’t know much about how our readers use … Continue reading →

Posted in bioinformatics, genomics, methods, next generation sequencing | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

The why's of sex

Posted on 25 Mar, 2016 by Arun Sethuraman

Sex isn’t quite what it seems – while superficially wasteful in an evolutionary sense (why inherit on only one half of your genes, when you can inherit all of them asexually, or why waste resources in mating when you don’t … Continue reading →

Posted in adaptation, evolution, genomics, mutation, natural history, next generation sequencing, population genetics, selection, theory, yeast | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

The 2016 Next-Generation Sequencing Field Guide Preview: Zombie Systems and New Hope

Posted on 24 Mar, 2016 by Travis Glenn

After a year of minimal activity, we finally have some significant changes in Next Gen Land. In the 2016 update of the NGS Field Guide, I will continue to give my overall interpretation about the various instruments, but with less … Continue reading →

Posted in genomics, howto, methods, RNAseq, transcriptomics | Tagged , , , | 8 Comments

To find duplicated loci in vertebrate polyploids, try thinking small

Posted on 23 Mar, 2016 by Rob Denton

Big sequencing efforts have gone a long way to help understand the complexities of polyploidy. However, the bioinformatic approaches to sorting and scoring alleles in next-gen data are generally designed for easy of use in diploid species. Unlike a diploid species, where … Continue reading →

Posted in genomics, methods, next generation sequencing, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

RADseq vs. UCEs, round 3

Posted on 18 Mar, 2016 by Ethan Linck

Though reduced-representation genome sequencing (or high-throughput, or nextgen, or massively parallel sequencing, or…) has become standard practice for molecular ecology labs over the past few years, the relative merits of different library preparation methods remains an active area of research. … Continue reading →

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

The Truth

Posted on 17 Mar, 2016 by Arun Sethuraman

Spoiler Alert: I’ve taken plenty of care to try and not spill the beans on any plotlines, but you have been forewarned that there may be some aspects of the science that’s discussed on the show that I attempt to … Continue reading →

Posted in genomics, next generation sequencing, population genetics, TV shows | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Chromosomal inversion determines male morphs in the ruff

Posted on 11 Mar, 2016 by Elin Videvall

The ruff is a wading bird where the male becomes especially spectacular during mating season with its colorful and variable breeding plumage. Two papers published together in Nature Genetics in November have now identified the genetic source of the large variation … Continue reading →

Posted in evolution, genomics | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

The Evolution of Molecular Dating

Posted on 7 Mar, 2016 by Bryan McLean

Molecular dating is a key tool in deciphering the history of life. In a recent Molecular Biology and Evolution paper, Sudhir Kumar and Blair Hedges have reviewed the state of the subject, summarizing the philosophical and methodological history of this … Continue reading →

Posted in genomics, methods, phylogenetics, Uncategorized | Tagged | Leave a comment

Fred Allendorf receives the 2015 Molecular Ecology Prize

Posted on 4 Mar, 2016 by Jeremy Yoder

Fred Allendorf literally wrote the book on conservation genetics, as part of a career of research ranging from basic evolutionary biology to studies of the specific genetic risks incurred by rare and endangered species. The 2015 Molecular Ecology prize recognizes … Continue reading →

Posted in community, conservation, genomics, Molecular Ecology, the journal | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Veritas Genetics offers $999 (human) genome sequences

Posted on 3 Mar, 2016 by Jeremy Yoder

Veritas Genetics, a company co-founded by Harvard University geneticist George Church* announced today that it will sequence your genome for less than $1,000. One dollar less, specifically. Up to now, “personal genome” services like 23andMe have used methods that don’t … Continue reading →

Posted in association genetics, bioinformatics, genomics, medicine, next generation sequencing | Tagged , , | 3 Comments