New research shows that pathogens that attack agricultural crops show remarkable adaptability to new climates and new plant hosts. Researchers studied the temperature preferences and host plant diversity of hundreds of fungi and oomycetes that attack our crops and found Read More …
How does fatigue affect dexterity? Think about everything you’ve had to use your hands for in the past five minutes. Now think about everything you’ve had to use them for in the past hour, day, and week. What would have Read More …
There is compelling evidence that when root hairs interact with the surrounding soil they reduce soil erosion and increase soil cohesion by binding soil particles. Soil erosion can have a devastating impact across the globe and a serious threat for Read More …
Meiotic recombination plays a crucial role in the generation of new varieties. The effectiveness of recombination is limited by the distribution of crossover events, which in wheat and many other crops is skewed toward the distal regions of the chromosomes. Read More …
For the first time, the genomic sequence of the elusive giant squid is revealed in this GigaScience paper. In this collaborative effort, the genetic code of the giant squid has been revealed, which will now serve as an invaluable resource Read More …
During my PhD, it occurred to me that many of the papers in the scientific literature could be misidentifying genetic markers that show a skewed inheritance pattern, otherwise known as segregation distortion. This is because they used a statistical test Read More …
Former student Jeremy Froidevaux’s research has recently attracted media interest following publishing of his paper arising from his research with the DTP. Hedgerows are an extremely important habitat feature for bats in the UK as they provide food, shelter and Read More …
This preprint paper on a new method for spray-on gene editing has rocketed to the 98th percentile of popular work uploaded onto biorxiv within just a few days, and has been retweeted multiple times by many scientists! The Whitney/Galan/Edwards groups Read More …
PhD training across the biosciences has received a massive boost thanks to funding from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC, part of UK Research and Innovation) to the South West Biosciences Doctoral Training Partnership (SWBio DTP). The funding, Read More …
Greenbeard genes were proposed as a cartoonish thought experiment to explain why altruism can be a selfish strategy from the perspective of genes. The likelihood of finding a real greenbeard gene in nature was thought to be remote because they Read More …
This year the ‘Aggies’ took a break from the Green Man Festival and got together for two activities, a Coding Camp in rural Devon, and the SEB Conference in Seville. The Coding Camp was held at a beautiful farmhouse near Read More …
The SWBio DTP Careers Conference took place at the University of Bath this June. On day one we welcomed current first year students, most of whom are starting to think about their Professional Internships for PhD Students (PIPS) and/or CASE Read More …
