Category Archives: Paleogenomics

Genomic signatures of ancient rendezvous and separation in elephant evolution

Posted on 5 Mar, 2018 by Patrícia Chrzanová Pečnerová

Evidence from various levels of the tree of life is showing that we’ve been picturing ancient encounters between related species all wrong and admixture events are probably more common than expected. Even rendezvous among primates, caniforms, and majestic proboscideans often … Continue reading →

Posted in conservation, evolution, genomics, hybridization, natural history, Paleogenomics, phylogeography | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

(Un)usual sources of ancient DNA

Posted on 27 Apr, 2017 by Patrícia Chrzanová Pečnerová

Working with ancient DNA can be quite painful at times, but hard work pays off (or so they say) and scientists are starting to reap great benefits from their effort by exploring more and more things to extract DNA from.

Posted in evolution, genomics, methods, Paleogenomics | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

The Hype Cycle of Ancient DNA

Posted on 20 Apr, 2017 by Patrícia Chrzanová Pečnerová

Recently I saw a graph that I’ve learnt is called the Hype Cycle and is a methodology used in assessment of new technologies and their marketing. What strikes me about it is how well it fits my own research field, … Continue reading →

Posted in evolution, natural history, Paleogenomics, phylogenetics, population genetics, theory | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

What's left of the black rhino's genetic diversity?

Posted on 22 Feb, 2017 by Patrícia Chrzanová Pečnerová

With the current poaching epidemic we might lose rhinos before we even have time to get to know them. Luckily, the day has come and thanks to Yoshan Moodley, Mike Bruford and their team we know have a pretty good … Continue reading →

Posted in conservation, evolution, Paleogenomics, phylogeography, population genetics | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

The final nail in the coffin of Patagonian megafaunal extinctions

Posted on 11 Jul, 2016 by Patrícia Chrzanová Pečnerová

Are our ancestors responsible for Late Pleistocene megafaunal extinctions? Were the Ice Age giants doomed to extinction because they couldn’t adapt or is it human fault that there is no woolly rhino, giant deer and cave bear today? A new … Continue reading →

Posted in evolution, natural history, Paleogenomics | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Mitogenomes from extinct New Zealand wrens shed light on the oldest songbird lineage

Posted on 7 Jun, 2016 by Ethan Linck

The order Passeriformes, commonly known as “perching birds” or “songbirds,” contains over half of all known avian species. Sister to all other Passeriformes are the acanthisittid wrens, a small and enigmatic family of New Zealand endemics. Though their providential phylogenetic … Continue reading →

Posted in genomics, next generation sequencing, Paleogenomics, phylogenetics | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Ice-Age Euro-trips

Posted on 19 May, 2016 by Arun Sethuraman

Recent works that attempt to get at human migrations inside Europe paint a complex portrait of migratory events, admixture with archaic hominids, and adaptive evolution to new geographies, and a changing global climate. Analyzing whole genomes of 51 ancient humans … Continue reading →

Posted in adaptation, evolution, genomics, natural history, Paleogenomics, population genetics, selection | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Opening Pandora's box: PSMC and population structure

Posted on 18 May, 2016 by Patrícia Chrzanová Pečnerová

Essentially, all models are wrong, but some are useful. — George Box Publication of the Li and Durbin’s 2011 paper titled “Inference of human population history from individual whole-genome sequences” was a milestone in the inference of demography. By allowing … Continue reading →

Posted in bioinformatics, methods, Paleogenomics, population genetics, theory | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

How to Clone a Mammoth: When science fiction becomes reality

Posted on 4 Apr, 2016 by Patrícia Chrzanová Pečnerová

The Molecular Ecologist receives a small commission for purchases made on Bookshop.org via links from this post. When I explain that I study the woolly mammoth, sooner or later (and usually right away) comes the question, “Are you going to clone a mammoth?” … Continue reading →

Posted in book review, Paleogenomics | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

The Neanderthal admixture plot thickens…

Posted on 25 Feb, 2016 by Arun Sethuraman

Previous studies of archaic admixture from Altai Neanderthals and Denisovans into modern humans outside of Africa have put forth several lines of evidence for gene flow from Neanderthals into common ancestors of Eurasian populations, from Denisovans into ancestors of modern … Continue reading →

Posted in bioinformatics, evolution, genomics, mutation, natural history, next generation sequencing, Paleogenomics, population genetics, speciation | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments