Category Archives: genomics

In the pipeline – Part 1: ‘Plan, plan, and plan some more’

So you’ve decided it’s time to finally get around to starting that sequencing project. But before you aimlessly leap into it and generate terabytes of sequencing data, just STOP.  It’s far too tempting to rush into sequencing projects for a … Continue reading

Posted in bioinformatics, evolution, genomics, howto, methods, population genetics, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Can small populations benefit from genetic rescue?

The core dogma of conservation biology is clear: small populations are bad for species’ persistence. If we observe a population of endangered vertebrates harboring abundant deleterious mutations but without any reduction in fitness, what is happening there? I would like … Continue reading

Posted in conservation, genomics, mammals, mutation, population genetics, theory | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Ask GEVEs

Yikes. This year has been a doozy, and while we all know that the hand on the wall (if you have one of those old fashioned things) that strikes midnight on December 31st will not put out the dumpster fires … Continue reading

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Genetic Rescue – Fitness and genomic consequences

As a PhD student studying the effects of genetic diversity overall and immunogenetic diversity specifically on survival and reproductive success in an endangered primate in captive and wild populations, I thought a lot about the potential effects of inbreeding and … Continue reading

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A genomic march of the penguins

It’s undeniable that penguins are a marine representative of the charismatic megafauna group. I have an affinity for stuff we need microscopes to see, BUT I agree that penguins are cute (just LOOK at these National Geographic photos…they’re even in … Continue reading

Posted in adaptation, association genetics, bioinformatics, birds, ecology, evolution, genomics, phylogeography | Leave a comment

Serendipitous history in the microbial making

It’s been over 100 years since the Dutch Microbiologist Martinus Willem Beijerinck theorized that microbes could oxidize manganese to generate energy for growth. Last week, the first evidence for this theory was published, and you might be surprised about from … Continue reading

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It’s the city life for me… or maybe not.

Michael Fitch wrote this post as part of Dr. Stacy Krueger-Hadfield’s Evolution course at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He completed a B.S. in Biology from the UAB and is currently considering entering the Master’s program.  Current interests… all over … Continue reading

Posted in bioinformatics, blogging, community ecology, comparative phylogeography, conservation, ecology, evolution, genomics, mammals, population genetics, Science Communication | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Asteroids and Pandemics

For whatever reason, viral disease and pandemics have been on my mind, so it’s no surprise that a recent paper in Molecular Ecology caught my attention. It blends the existential dread of global pandemics with the increasing panic concerning the … Continue reading

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The Virosphere’s Own Trojan Horse

Melissa Walker wrote this post as a part of Dr. Stacy Krueger-Hadfield’s Science Communication course at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Melissa’s research focuses on the interactions between freshwater biofilms and the viruses that infect them. She is currently … Continue reading

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FISHing for molecules, a link between form and function in animal–bacteria symbioses

I am posting a blog post that was written by Benedikt Geier, a Ph.D. candidate who just handed in his Ph.D. thesis at the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology in Bremen, Germany. In my eyes, these last couple of … Continue reading

Posted in Coevolution, community ecology, ecology, evolution, genomics, methods, microbiology, natural history, Symbiosis, transcriptomics | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment