NewsBlog
Masters in Automation of High-throughput Genotyping
Posted on Nov 29, 2017
Welcome to Julian Hausner who begins his Masters degree in the IAE working on automation of high-throughput genotyping. His is an applied Co-Op masters degree with industry partner Diversity Arrays Technology. Julian plans to bring his existing expertise in laboratory chemistry and chemical safety procedures and experience and knowledge of laboratory automation to bear on new applications for automation of the laboratory workflow for UC associate, Diversity Arrays Technology Pty Ltd.
Pogona development under sex reversal
Posted in Team Pogona on Nov 21, 2017
Congratulations to Sarah Whiteley on acceptance by the journal EvoDevo of her honours work. In it she not only characterizes in great detail the embryonic development of the dragon but shows that sex reversal does not interfere with body or genital development in a way that might compromise viability.
Holsworth Endowment supports Pignosed Turtle Research
Posted in Turtle Research on Nov 17, 2017
Next-Generation DNA Sequencing is going to be brought to bear on wildlife trafficking for Australian freshwater turtles thanks to a grant to Matt Young from the Holsworth Wildlife Research Endowment Fund. Well done Matt Young on securing this support.
Berenice Talamantes attends the First Youth Latin-American summit
Posted in Uncategorized on Oct 25, 2017
Berenice Talamantes Becerra recently attended the First Youth Latin-American biotechnology summit held in Santiago, Chile where she presented her ideas on the challenges we face with bioanonymity. She gives an account of the conference here.
Jenny Graves honoured with PM Prize for Science
Posted in Team Pogona on Oct 21, 2017
Professor Jenny Graves from La Trobe University was honoured last week as recipient of the Prime Minister's Prize for Science. This is Australia's top science prize. The prize is in recognition of an outstanding career in science during which Professor Graves made a number of discoveries and generated many new insights to vertebrate chromosome evolution. Professor Graves is a Thinker in Residence at the IAE.
New Blood for Team Pogona
Posted in Team Pogona on Sep 03, 2017
Welcome to Sarah Whiteley who joins Team Pogona from Queensland University where she recently completed her honours on sex reversal and temporary pseudohermaphroditism in the Central Bearded Dragon (Pogona vitticeps). Sarah was awarded first class honours for her work, which has since been submitted in part for publication.
Mammal Emblem for the ACT
Posted in Education and Outreach on Aug 10, 2017
Just had a chat on ABC Radio Breakfast, hosted by Dan Bourchier, as part of a panel to discuss options for an ACT mammalian emblem, to complement the Gang-gang Cockatoo and the Royal Blue Bell. On the panel with me was David Headon and Ivo Ostyn. What do we think? Spotted-tailed Quoll gets our vote.
Rare turtle's relationships resolved
Posted in Turtle Research on Jul 25, 2017
Congratulations to Xiuwen Zhang for her article resolving the phylogenetic relationships of the enigmatic Western Swamp Turtle using whole mitochondrial sequencing. The online version of the article, co-authored by Peter Unmack, Gerald Kuchling, Yinan Wang and Arthur Georges, appeared today in the journal Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution.
Key piece discovered in the jigsaw puzzle that is reptilian sex determination
Posted in Team Pogona on Jun 28, 2017
The mechanism by which temperature exerts its influence on offpring sex has baffled scientists for over 50 years, since the phenomenon was first discovered. In a paper recently published in Science Advances (June 14, 2017), we believe we have discovered an important piece of the puzzle, a temperature sensitive transcripional modification to an influential chromatin modifying gene, Jumonji.
Sex in Dragons -- Ecological drivers of transitions between GSD and TSD
Posted in Team Pogona on May 09, 2017
The Institute for Applied Ecology is seeking two PhD students with interests in population genetics and reptile ecology/physiology to investigate the field-based mechanisms of sex reversal in the dragon lizard, Pogona vitticeps.Expressions of interest before June 10.
