Heredity Podcast

The XY sex-determination system of therian mammals has persisted for over 160 million years: but why? In this episode Aurora Ruiz-Herrera (Autonomous University of Barcelona) and Paul Waters (University of New South Wales) discuss the evolution of sex chromosomes and role of meiosis.   This episode explores the recent Heredity paper: “Fragile, unfaithful and persistent Ys—on how meiosis can s...

The genetic material locked within museum collections could help us better understand and conserve the world around us. In this episode PhD student Mario Ernst (Natural History Museum, Berlin) and Dr Knud Jønsson (Natural History Museum of Denmark) explain how, as they tell us about their work on a charismatic group of birds: the Asian orioles.   This episode explores the recent Heredity pape...

Hidden within shark genomes are clues to the evolution of marine biodiversity hotspots. In this episode, Dr Paolo Momigliano (University of Vigo), tells us about his work on the grey reef shark: from fishing in the tropical waters of the Coral Triangle to detailed demographic modelling.   This episode explores the recent Heredity paper: “Genomic insights into the historical and contemporary d...

In this episode we revisit an inspiring episode that answers the question: why should you publish in Heredity?  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The giant tortoises of the Galápagos archipelago form one of the most iconic evolutionary systems in the world. But is all as it appears? Join Dr Evelyn Jensen (Newcastle University) and discover how museum specimens are reshaping our understanding of this famous radiation.   This episode explores the recent Heredity paper: “A new lineage of Galapagos giant tortoises identified from museum sa...

Barley is one of the world’s oldest and most important cultivated cereal grains. But it’s long history of domestication has resulted in greatly reduced genetic diversity, which isn’t ideal for plant breeding efforts. So, in this episode, Che-Wei Chang and Prof. Karl Schmid (University of Hohenheim) discuss their quest to find useful genetic variation in wild barley relatives.   This episode e...

Every year Heredity publishes some outstanding student-led papers, and to recognise the quality of this work the journal runs a student paper prize. So, what makes a paper stand out? Find out, as we hear from overall winner Dr Allie Graham and 2nd runner-up Johanna Denkena.   Explore the full Student Prize Longlist Collection here: https://www.nature.com/collections/bedbicdicb Hosted on Acast...

In this episode we explore the 55th Population Genetics Group Meeting. Tune in to get a taste of what this conference has to offer as we hear from organisers, plenary speakers, and student prize winners.   This episode was made in collaboration with Mike Pointer, host of the Abstract Bioscience podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Inbreeding depression is often considered to be a bad thing, especially in conservation programmes. However, that may not always be the case. In this episode Dr Eugenio López-Cortegano (University of Edinburgh), Dr Eulalia Moreno (Estación Experimental de Zonas Áridas) and Prof. Aurora García-Dorado (Universidad Complutense de Madrid) discuss a surprising benefit of inbreeding in small, endangered...

Join host James Burgon as he shares his highlights from the past year of the Heredity Podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join Prof. Anne Yoder (Duke University), Dr Mario dos Reis (Queen Mary University of London) and Dr George Tiley (Duke University) as they discuss their recent work looking at mutation rates in the gray mouse lemur. It’s a story that takes us from a house party to the bleeding edge of genetics research, with a detour through the scandalous sex lives of mouse lemurs.   In this episode we explo...

The Population Genetics Group Meeting comes to Norwich this January (05th – 07th). In fact, it's coming to a lot of places. Tune in to find out how this beloved genetics conference is adapting to the COVID era with online talks, local meetups and “Twitter posters”.    This episode features friend of the podcast Mike Pointer, one of this year’s PopGroup organisers and host of the Abstract...

Can we really understand ancient shifts in oceanic currents by looking at the population genetics of migratory species? Find out in this episode, as Dr Jurjan van der Zee (University of Groningen) discusses his search for a warm-water corridor between the Atlantic and Indian oceans in the genomes of green turtles.   In this episode we explore the recent Heredity paper: “The population genomic...

Nile tilapia are the third most important farmed fish worldwide, but the emergence of the Tilapia Lake Virus (TiLV) threatens its sustainable production. In this episode, Dr Agustin Barría (The Roslin Institute) discusses his recent collaboration, where they used a natural outbreak of TiLV to investigate the genetic architecture of disease resistance.   In this episode we explore the recent H...

Red sea bream are an important fish in Japan, for both culinary and cultural reasons. But there’s a problem: transparent fish are appearing in fish farms! Join Dr Eitaro Sawayama (Nihon University) and find out how he uncovered the causative gene for this deformity, and what his work means for red sea bream aquaculture. In this episode we explore the recent Heredity paper: “Identification of the c...

After more than 150 years, wolves once again roam the Germany countryside! Of course, a lot has changed in that time. Join Anne Jarausch (Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt) as she discusses her recent work looking at the genetics of this ongoing, rapid and natural wolf recolonisation.   In this episode we explore the recent Heredity paper: “How the west was w...

Join us as we talk to the newest member of the Heredity editorial board: Prof. Sam Banks (Charles Darwin University). Discover his eclectic research tastes, hear about his recent Heredity paper on Australia’s threatened brush-tailed rabbit-rat, and be inspired by his passion for population genetics and ecology.   This episode discusses the recent Heredity paper: “Population genomics and conse...

A scourge to many in agriculture, flour beetles in the genus Tribolium may be the best model system you’re not using. Join PhD student Michael Pointer, Prof. Matthew Gage and Dr Lewis Spurgin (University of East Anglia) as they discuss the importance of Tribolium beetles across a remarkable range of research fields… and their great untapped potential as a model system in evolution and ecology. &nb...

From Antarctic voyages to tropical cloud rainforests, join us as we revisit some of the best fieldwork experiences shared on the Heredity Podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join Dr Milan Vrtílek (Czech Academy of Sciences) and Dr Pierre Chuard (Bishop's University) as they venture into the world of maternal effects – a form of inheritance that goes beyond genes. We also discuss the importance of preregistering studies for robust, reproducible science and explore the often-overlooked value in finding negative results.   In this episode we explore the recent Hered...

Delve into the complex processes behind biological sex determination with Duminda Dissanayake and Clare Holleley (University of Canberra/CSIRO), and discover what happens when a developing lizard embryo receives conflicting signals.   In this episode we explore the recent Heredity paper: “High elevation increases the risk of Y chromosome loss in Alpine skink populations with sex reversal” htt...

There are many ways to break a gene, and that’s not always a bad thing. In this episode Grey Monroe and Pádraic Flood discuss their recent paper on the population genomics of adaptive loss of function, and recount the unexpected origins of their collaboration.   In this episode we explore the recent Heredity review article: “The population genomics of adaptive loss of function” https://www.na...

In this episode we revisit the nature vs. nurture debate in one of humanity's closest companions – Dogs! Why do they do the things they do? Are their behaviours hardwired into their DNA? Tune in and listen to Dr Juliane Friedrich, Dr Pamela Wiener and Dr Marie Haskell as they discuss complex genetic behaviour traits in German shepherd dogs and how their research has shaped the way they view their...

Etched into the genomes of the humble house mouse are clues to some of the most important migrations in human history. Join Prof. Hitoshi Suzuki and Dr Naoki Osada (Hokkaido University) as they explain how they used the Eurasian house mouse, Mus musculus , to trace the prehistorical movement of ancient human populations. In this episode we explore the recent Heredity paper: “House mouse Mus muscul...

In this episode we explore the 54th Population Genetics Group Meeting with two of its organisers: Prof. Andrea Betancourt and Eve Taylor-Cox (University of Liverpool). We also hear from the winner of the best student talk: Gabriela Montejo-Kovacevic (University of Cambridge). Listen now to hear about great new research and the trials of hosting an online conference. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/...