Tag Archives: evolution
Nectar, fruits, and blood. A genomic view on the feeding habits of bats.
Hans Zauner - June 9, 2020
Bats are mammals like no other – airborne, mostly nocturnal, often hidden away in caves, capable of using echolocation for in-flight navigation. No two bat species are alike, however. Their diversity of morphology, life styles and feeding habits is staggering. New bat genomics research published today in GigaScience explores the footprints of evolution, to explain […]
March of the Multiple Penguin Genomes
Scott Edmunds - September 18, 2019
The Penguin Genome Consortium sequences all living penguin species genomes to understand the evolution of life on the ice. Published today in GigaScience is an article that presents the first effort to capture the entirety of the genomic landscape of all living penguin species. The Penguin Genome Consortium —bringing together researchers from China, Denmark, New […]
Sequencing The Eastern Yellow Robin: Sex chromosomes with a twist
Hans Zauner - September 4, 2019
Today in Gigascience we published an avian genome assembly with a twist. An Australian team at Monash University discovered unusual, so-called neo-sex chromosomes in the genome of the Eastern Yellow Robin. Being big fans of bird genomes (see our support of the Avian Phylogenomic and B10K projects) it is great to see another one take […]
Genomes from paradise
Hans Zauner - January 30, 2019
New genomic data from five birds-of-paradise reveal genes that are shaped by selection and help explain the origin of their spectacular plumage. Birds-of-paradise, with their elaborate and colorful feathers and their complex courtship displays, are a school-book example of sexual selection. However, little is known about the genetic variants that distinguish the lavishly colored birds-of-paradise […]
On the trail of the elusive Solenodon genome. Q&A with Taras Oleksyk
Scott Edmunds - March 19, 2018
Researchers have sequenced the venomous Solenodon, the last survivor of a branch of mammals that appeared at the time of the dinosaurs. Here we give some behind the scenes insight with some of the authors of this prize winning project, and include a Q&A with lead author Taras Oleksyk. Our latest paper presents a draft […]
The genome of a shape shifting butterfly
Hans Zauner - May 10, 2017
A high coverage, high quality genome sequence of the butterfly Bicyclus anynana is published today in GigaScience. B. anynana, the squinting bush brown, is a fascinating model species that can modify its morphology in response to environmental clues. The 475 Mb genome assembly, achieved by combining traditional Illumina and long read PacBio data, encodes 22,642 […]
Getting the Buzz on Bee Parasites. Author Q&A with Tatsuhiko Kadowaki
Scott Edmunds - February 24, 2017
The decline of global honeybee populations are a major environment concern, because of their vital role in our food systems and pollination of flowering plants. Twenty first century ‘Omics is coming to the rescue, and published in GigaScience this week is an article that presents the genome and proteome of a mahor threat to bee […]
Ginkgo genome fills an evolutionary hole
Scott Edmunds - November 25, 2016
New in GigaScience is an article that presents the genome sequence of Ginkgo biloba, the oldest extant tree species. The research was carried out by a team of scientists at BGI, Zheijiang University and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, who tackled and analyzed an exceptionally large genome, totalling more than 10Gb. Ginkgo is considered by some as a “living fossil”, its form and structure having changed very little in 270 million years. Its unique position in the evolutionary tree of life means the ginkgo genome will provide an extensive resource for studying early events in tree development and evolution.