Category Archives: Paleogenomics

Petrous bone is the new black

Posted on 22 Feb, 2016 by Patrícia Chrzanová Pečnerová

I was just reading an article about skeletal reconstruction of another fascinating extinct species when my supervisor came to my office. I asked: “How about we sequence this creature’s genome?” He replied by asking where the animal had lived. As … Continue reading →

Posted in genomics, methods, Paleogenomics | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Single dispersal of modern humans to Eurasia

Posted on 8 Feb, 2016 by Patrícia Chrzanová Pečnerová

In a typical ancient DNA study where the number of authors exceeds the number of specimens (actually, equals this time), Cosimo Posth and colleagues sequenced 35 pre-Neolithic modern humans from Europe. By sequencing 35 mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) genomes, Posth et … Continue reading →

Posted in evolution, genomics, natural history, Paleogenomics, population genetics | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

Genomics of domestication in chicken and cattle

Posted on 29 Oct, 2015 by Arun Sethuraman

Two recent studies attempt to understand the process of adaptive evolution in domestication and artificial selection by characterizing (a) sweeps, and their association with phenotypes in extant hybrid lines (Sheng et al. 2015), and (b) phylogenomic position of an extinct … Continue reading →

Posted in adaptation, bioinformatics, domestication, evolution, genomics, natural history, Paleogenomics, phylogeography, population genetics, selection, speciation, STRUCTURE | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Who came first – the Paleo- or Native American?

Posted on 23 Jul, 2015 by Arun Sethuraman

In yet another infamous Science vs Nature race, two studies published this Tuesday toss more cans of worms at the ongoing debate about the founding of the Americas – with disparate findings. Uh oh. Skoglund et al. Nature (2015) Genetic … Continue reading →

Posted in genomics, next generation sequencing, Paleogenomics, population genetics | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

The Kennewick, and the Oase I

Posted on 25 Jun, 2015 by Arun Sethuraman

Last week was glorious for ancient DNA enthusiasts – here are some quick blurbs on findings from genomic analyses of the Kennewick man, and the Oase I individual. The ancestry and affiliations of Kennewick Man, Rasmussen et al. (2015) Nature DOI: … Continue reading →

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Genomic history of Eurasia

Posted on 11 Jun, 2015 by Arun Sethuraman

The route of modern humans out of Africa has been contentious, with archaeological and genetic finds pointing towards a route through Egypt, versus one through Ethiopia. Pagani et al. (2015) analyze the genomic admixture of individuals sampled from both Egypt … Continue reading →

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Old dogs, and 'carnivorous' pandas

Posted on 4 Jun, 2015 by Arun Sethuraman

It was a good fortnight for large mammals! Two recent studies attempt to date the emergence of modern canids, and offer insights into the gut microbiomes of giant pandas. Ancient Wolf Genome Reveals an Early Divergence of Domestic Dog Ancestors and … Continue reading →

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

A mammoth bottleneck prior to extinction

Posted on 28 Apr, 2015 by Noah Snyder-Mackler

Here’s to back-to-back posts on extinct mammalian genomes! Woolly mammoth genomes are all the rage. How do I know? Just check out the new book, pre-print, and paper that were recently published.

Posted in conservation, genomics, next generation sequencing, Paleogenomics, population genetics | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

sedaDNA sleuths: embracing your inner Sherlock

Posted on 6 Mar, 2015 by Stacy Krueger-Hadfield

Awhile back fellow TME contributor Rob Denton posted about a recent review on environmental DNA by Pedersen et al. (2015). Environmental DNA (eDNA) is obtained from samples such as sediments, ice or water and can provide scientific sleuths with tantalizing clues about past … Continue reading →

Posted in bioinformatics, domestication, genomics, natural history, next generation sequencing, Paleogenomics | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Twice Mixed? Testing hypotheses of Neanderthal Introgression

Posted on 19 Feb, 2015 by Arun Sethuraman

Human migration in, and out of Africa was wrought with complex patterns of admixture (see my previous post summarizing the story so far). Of note were some recent findings on the disparity in amounts of Neanderthal introgression/ancestry between East Asians … Continue reading →

Posted in adaptation, bioinformatics, evolution, genomics, mutation, Paleogenomics, population genetics | Tagged , | 1 Comment