Oceans apart: Sampling the hawksbill turtle’s genetic diversity
Eight genetically distinct populations of hawksbill turtles have been identified in the Indo-Pacific Ocean. The study by researchers from the School of Life and Environmental Sciences has revealed connections between populations in different oceans and identified management units for conservation. Marine turtles travel around the world to feed and mate, but as the saying goes, …
Prizes for members of the MEEP Lab
A number of prizes have been awarded to members of the MEEP lab over the past month Professor Simon Ho was named as the 2015 recipient of the Edgeworth David Medal, awarded by the Royal Society of New South Wales for “distinguished contributions by a young scientist under the age of 35 years”. PhD student …
Workshop on advanced phylogenetic analysis
The MEEP Lab recently ran a workshop on Advanced Phylogenetic Analysis at the Australian National University (16–18 November). The 28 participants attended a series of talks and took part in practicals based on a variety of phylogenetic software. The workshop was the latest in a series of regular training opportunities provided by members of the …
Prizes for Honours student Cara Van Der Wal
MEEP Honours student Cara Van Der Wal has won a number of significant prizes for her work. Cara recently won the prize for best student talk at the international Crustacean Society Conference, held at the Australian Museum. Cara also received an honourable mention for the poster that she presented at the Genetics Society of Australasia …
Research prizes for PhD students
Two PhD students from the MEEP Lab have won prizes for their research. Sebastian Duchene has been awarded the Faculty of Science Postgraduate Research Prize for Outstanding Academic Achievement. This prize was awarded on recommendation of the Dean of the Faculty. Sebastian has received this prize for this paper entitled “Analyses of evolutionary dynamics in …
Rapid bird evolution after the age of dinosaurs
The most ambitious genetic study ever undertaken on bird evolution has found that almost all modern birds diversified after the dinosaurs became extinct 66 million years ago. “The popular view until now has been that the extraordinary diversity of birds began during the dinosaur age but we found little support for this,” said Associate Professor …
Eureka Prize for Outstanding Early Career Researcher
Associate Professor Simon Ho has received the Eureka Prize for Outstanding Early Career Researcher for his work on molecular clocks over the past 5 years. The prize was presented at an awards ceremony at the Sydney Town Hall. Molecular clocks provide a tool for biologists to estimate evolutionary rates and timescales. By knowing the rate …
Theses from two PhD students
Two students from the MEEP lab, Martyna Molak and Luana Lins, recently completed their doctoral work. Martyna was awarded her PhD for her thesis entitled “Evolutionary Analysis of Ancient DNA Sequences”. Luana Lins recently submitted her PhD thesis on the evolution and diversity of isopod crustaceans. Both theses included chapters that had been published as …
Genetics Society of Australasia Conference 2014
Eight members of the MEEP laboratory attended the Genetics Society of Australasia Conference, held at the University of Sydney 6-11 July. A/Prof. Simon Ho, Sebastian Duchene, Daej Arab, Frank Jia, Charles Foster, Jun Tong, and Andrew Ritchie gave talks about their research. Jun Tong received a Student Talk Prize Honourable Mention for his presentation. Sebastian …
New study of evolutionary rates in viruses
Sebastian Duchene and Simon Ho, together with colleague Eddie Holmes, have published a paper on viral evolutionary rates in Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B. This paper has important implications for our understanding of the evolutionary rates and timescales of viruses. Viruses are responsible for a large proportion of infectious diseases. They can …