Heredity Podcast

Gene-drives hold great potential for the control of biological pests, but first they need to be thoroughly tested under appropriate conditions. In this episode we discuss some new work assessing whether mosquito populations in Northern Australia could be used to test a gene-drive targeting malaria mosquitoes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Genes are recipes for proteins and proteins do stuff. But if a gene can make more than one protein, how does that affect genetic variation and the possible routes to adaptation? We get an introduction to the topic of adaptive alternative splicing from David Manahan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're in the age of big data, but there remain several hurdles to integrating genomics into conservation science. We hear about these issues from Prof Cock Van Oosterhout, and discuss the potential solutions he outlined in his recent perspectives article for  Heredity . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this second of our special episodes on the 2024 PopGroup conference, we hear from Mark Kirkpatrick, who gave the plenary talk which was the climactic end to the meeting. Mark tells us why he loves Popgroup, what his conference talk was about and what questions he's excited to dig into next. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

PopGroup is the beloved annual meeting of the Population Genetics group of the Genetics Society. This episode we hear from Mike Richie, lead organiser at this year's host organisation - the University of St Andrews, from plenary speaker Susan Johnston and from student prizewinner Diana Lobo. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Each year Heredity awards a prize for the best student paper in the journal, this episode Ellen Nikelski, talking about her paper and how it feels to have been the winner in 2023. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

One of the big decisions in planning a genetic study is what kind of sequencing approach to use. This episode we talk to Daria Martchenko and Aaron Shafer (Trent University, Canada), whose paper compares and contrasts whole genomes to RADseq in a study of mountain goat demography and adaptive history. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We tend to focus on research studies on the podcast, but review papers are a hugely important part of the scientific literature. This week we talk to Frank Hailer, reviews editor, who demonstrates his passion for using genetics in his work and talks about why he loves his job at Heredity. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Barriers to gene-flow control population connectivity, but what barriers exist in the sea? How similar is the connectivity of island marine organisms to those on land? As with many evolutionary questions, the Galapagos is the perfect place to find answers. Max Hirschfeld and Christine Dudgeon discuss their new work with the Galapagos bullhead shark. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for...

What is effective population size (Ne), and why is it important? Robin Waples takes us back to the basics of this important evolutionary concept and discusses his new paper, using simulations to demonstrate that Bill Hill's 1972 equation for calculating Ne still works for populations with extreme reproductive patterns. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kamolphat Atsawawaranunt and Anna Santure discuss how they have used diverse samples of DNA to trace the introduction history of the common myna from its native range across its invasive distribution in the Pacific. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Richard Bernstein (Institute for Bee Research Hohen Neuendorf) discusses the development of the first genomic prediction model for honey bees. Genomic prediction is well established in the breeding of many commercial species, but wasn’t possible in honey bees until now. Richard fills us in on what genomic prediction actually is, why its useful and why prediction for bees is so tri...

In this episode, Prof Thomas Madsen (Deakin University) discusses how a long-term study of an adder population has provided evidence that polyandry and non-random fertilisation can have positive effects on genetic diversity. Thomas argues that factoring in mating dynamics could help to improve conservation genetic analyses. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Anna Hewett discusses how different factors have led to the patterns of homozygosity observed in a population of red deer living on the Scottish Isle of Rum. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After five years with the journal, James Burgon is leaving the Heredity Podcast. But fear not! Because the podcast is being left in a pair of safe and familiar hands. In this episode we meet our new host: Michael Pointer. Also joining the episode is new Editor-in-Chief Prof. Sara Goodacre. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tom Oosting discusses his research on the population demographics of the Australasian snapper, an economically important fish found in the waters around New Zealand. This study combines modern sampling with museum samples collected from pre-colonial Māori middens.    This episode explores the recent Heredity paper: “ Mitochondrial genomes reveal mid-Pleistocene population divergence, and...

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 Co-Editor-in-Chief Aurora Ruiz-Herrera joins the podcast to explore the three best student-led papers of 2022.   Find the full Student Prize Longlist Collection here: https://www.nature.com/collecti...

Dr Emiliano Trucchi (Marche Polytechnic University) and Dr Céline Le Bohec (University of Strasbourg; Monaco Scientific Center) discuss the genetic basis of cold adaptation in the emperor penguin. Céline also shares her experience of visiting Antarctica.   This episode explores the recent Heredity paper: “ Selection-driven adaptation to the extreme Antarctic environment in the Emperor penguin...

In this episode, Dr Sara Nilson  (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), Dr Jared Decker (University of Missouri) and Prof. Leslie Lyons (University of Missouri) discuss their quest to find the geographical origins of cat domestication.   This episode explores the recent Heredity paper: “ Genetics of randomly bred cats support the cradle of cat domestication being in the Near East ” Hosted on...

In this episode, Dr Paul Maier tells us about his research on the landscape genetics of the Yosemite toad, which only inhabits high-altitude meadows in California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains.   This episode explores the recent Heredity paper: “ Landscape genetics of a sub-alpine toad: climate change predicted to induce upward range shifts via asymmetrical migration corridors ” Hosted on Acast....

Social interactions play an essential role in the lives of many animals. But how do we disentangle the genetic and non-genetic factors influencing sociality? In this episode, Dr Irene Godoy (Bielefeld University) tells us about her research on sociality in capuchin monkeys.   This episode explores the recent Heredity paper: “Genetic, maternal, and environmental influences on sociality in a pe...

Can the sleep and activity patterns of fruit flies help us better understand human metabolic disorders? It’s a big question, and one that we are going to touch upon today, as we hear from Dr Pedro Vale, Katy Monteith (University of Edinburgh), and Lucy Anderson. This episode also touches upon the undergraduate research experience, first publications, and the benefits of peer-review.   This ep...

On the 20th July, The Genetics Society held a fantastic Garden Party to celebrate the 200th birthday of Gregor Mendel: a man regarded by many as the "father of modern genetics". In this episode we showcase a talk given on the day by Prof. Alison Woollard (University of Oxford) titled: ‘Mendel to Modern Genetics’.  You can find a recording of the full event on the Genetics Society’s YouTu...

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...