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Category Archives: theory
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
Evolution 2018 Day 1: From genomics in the wild, to new models of selection
It’s Evolution conference time! Evolution has long been my favourite fixture in the conference calendar, with its diverse mix of theoretical and empirical studies that span the full range of evolutionary biology. This year it’s the second Joint Congress on … Continue reading
Posted in adaptation, community, conferences, evolution, genomics, population genetics, speciation, theory
Tagged #Evol2018, Evolution 2018, Montpellier
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Population genetic simulation … in Lego
Julien Yann Dutheil, of the Institut des Sciences de l’Évolution de Montpellier, has a long track record of work in population genetics and genomics methods, particularly in the C++ programming language. He recently posted a video to YouTube, though, which … Continue reading
Is the neutral theory dead?
You might have noticed how the world of genetics was shaking as the giants of theoretical population genetics started discussing some of the most fundamental questions in the arena of Twittersphere. This happened after the publication of Andrew Kern and Matthew … Continue reading
Posted in evolution, mutation, population genetics, selection, theory
Tagged neutral theory, selection
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The Hype Cycle of Ancient DNA
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 ancient DNA, history, hype cycle
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Diving into the inbreeding depression
This post is going to be a little melodramatic, but I hope that despite all the reading on inbreeding depression, you won’t get depressed. As the media finally started feeding us all the catastrophic news about the impact of global … Continue reading
Posted in conservation, genomics, population genetics, theory
Tagged genomics, inbreeding, inbreeding depression, Isle Royale wolves, pedigree
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Humans, selection, evolution and ecological timescales … a potent cocktail
It’s been awhile since I last was able to write for TME. But, finally, I’ve stolen away some time to write about a recent study in Ecology Letters that I couldn’t put down once I started reading it. Yes, it’s about mating … Continue reading
Posted in adaptation, evolution, natural history, plants, population genetics, selection, theory
Tagged Evolution, mating system, pesticide, selection
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Divergence and Linked Background Selection
We have widely discussed the reduction in neutral diversity due to demography and linked selection effects (e.g. selective sweeps and hitchhiking, or background selection) in several previous posts (e.g see here, here, and here). However, how linked selection affects neutral divergence … Continue reading
Posted in evolution, genomics, methods, selection, speciation, theory
Tagged ecological speciation, Evolution, genomics, Homo sapiens, natural selection, population genetics
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The almighty CRISPR-Cas9 technology: The future of conservation?
In the first post on CRISPR-Cas9, I’ve explained how bacteria and archaea create a “database” of infections and use it as a form of prokaryotic immunization. This time, I’m going to concentrate on how biotechnology turns this natural phenomenon into … Continue reading
Posted in conservation, evolution, methods, theory
Tagged conservation, CRISPR, CRISPR-Cas9, gene drive
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The almighty CRISPR-Cas9 technology: How does it work?
CRISPR-Cas9 took the whole world of biology by storm. Selected Science’s 2015 Breakthrough of the Year, the CRISPR-Cas9 technology is revolutionizing science. Within five years of the official announcement (Jinek et al. 2012), it became the genome-editing technique of choice. … Continue reading
Posted in evolution, genomics, methods, theory
Tagged CRISPR, CRISPR-Cas9, genome-editing, genome-engineering
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