Rockefeller University

Program for the Human Environment

News

PHE high school intern presents to international eDNA meeting in Japan

Arya Kambhampati, Manhattan high school senior mentored by PHE’s Mark Stoeckle, presented on 13 December remotely to  the  8th Annual Meeting of The eDNA Society in Yamaguchi, Japan on using eDNA to measure vertebrate biodiversity on oyster reefs such as those now being encouraged in New York Harbor.  Congratulations, Arya, on your first talk to a major scientific conference.

Leonardo Da Vinci DNA Project public website

The purpose of the Leonardo da Vinci DNA Project is to create insights into the life and work of Leonardo da Vinci through application of rapidly advancing tools in biology and anthropology in close association with expertise from history and the arts. The new detective technologies span genetics and genealogy, microbiology, physical anthropology, chemistry, hydraulics, and visualization. A principal means for insight would be a genomic profile of Leonardo. The Project was conceived in 2014 by Brunetto Chiarelli, Cesare Marchetti, and Jesse Ausubel with crucial help from Henry de Lumley…and finally opens a public website.

Mark & Jesse give NOAA Webinar on Urban estuary eDNA

On 19 November Mark Stoeckle and Jesse Ausubel presented the NOAA ‘Omics Webinar on “Urban estuary eDNA reports seasonal abundance of marine fish, and, thanks to wastewater, tracks local wildlife, land birds, household pets, and human diet.” A video of the Webinar, one hour including Q&A, is here in YouTube. Thanks to Katie Poser and Nicole Miller for hosting and organizing.

Abstract: Here we analyzed vertebrate eDNA in New York City’s East River, a rocky estuary channel difficult to survey with mechanical gear and subject to wastewater discharge. There was a 10-fold increase in local marine fish eDNA in summer and seasonal differences among taxa consistent with known phenology. Levels of other vertebrate eDNA—domesticated animal, non-fish wildlife, and dietary fish—were correlated with human eDNA levels, consistent with a shared wastewater source. Wastewater eDNA identified the commonest urban mammals, land birds, and household pets. Proportions of dietary animal eDNA in wastewater closely approximated proportions in national consumption statistics, opening a window into human diet assessment. Wastewater eDNA analysis added value in an urban estuary survey of marine fish eDNA.

On Trump’s Higher Ed Compact

Jesse Ausubel and Bill Massy, who teamed to create the first (and only) video game of the American university, Virtual U., reunited to publish an Op-Ed in RealClear Education on A Video Game of the Trump Higher Ed Compact, Seriously. Maybe university leaders can learn something from builders and players of World of Warcraft and Fortnite.  It’s time for a new generation of simulations in the spirit of Virtual U.

Jesse on Decouple podcast

Canadian Chris Keefer, an emergency medical physician and president of Canadians for Nuclear Energy, hosts Jesse Ausubel for an hour on his Decouple podcast. Jesse discusses his intellectual roots, the environmental trifecta of land-sparing, decarbonization, and dematerialization, and contrasting Catholic and Protestant views of strategy and fate in relation to energy systems.

“Cosmic View of Life” paper and video released

PHE guest investigator David Thaler is a co-author of A Cosmic View of Life on Earth: Hierarchical Visualization of Biological Data Using Astronomical Software. The cooperative international project “A Cosmic View of Life on Earth” adapts an immersive astrophysics visualization platform called OpenSpace to contextualize diverse biological data. Dimensionality reduction techniques harmonize biological information to create spatial representations in which data are interactively explored on flat screens and planetarium domes. Visualizations are enriched with geographic metadata, three-dimensional scans of specimens, and species-specific sonifications (e.g., bird songs). The “Cosmic View” project eases the dissemination of stories related to biological domains (e.g., insects, birds, mammals, human migrations) and facilitates scientific discovery. A terrific 4-minute supplementary video supports the article.

Leonardo Da Vinci DNA project publications

Leo DNA project counsel Eric Rayman’s essay “Can an Artist’s DNA Help Detect Forgeries?” has been published in the lively art world publication HYPOALLERGIC.

The key methods paper by Rhonda Roby et al., Sampling techniques and genomic analysis of biological material from artworks, appeared in the Journal of Forensic Sciences.

The paper by Massimo Guerrero et al, “Scaling Turbulent Wake Flow Downstream of Isolated Piers in Laboratory and River” where they explore using Leonardo’s drawings to estimate his visual acuity appeared in Results in Engineering.

As reported in a post on 26 May, in their new book “Genìa Da Vinci. Genealogy and Genetics for Leonardo’s DNA,” published by Angelo Pontecorboli Editore, Alessandro Vezzosi and Agnese Sabato present findings from 30 years of genealogical research that have culminated in groundbreaking insights. The book documents an elaborate family tree tracing back to 1331, spanning 21 generations and involving over 400 individuals. The work lays the groundwork for reconstruction of Leonardo’s genetic profile.