Austin decarbonization
On 25 April Jesse participated in a symposium on Priorities in the Geosciences at the University of Texas, Austin and spoke on “Decarbonization: The Next 100 Years“….
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“Tag sequencing” reveals vast microbial diversity
A “tag sequencing” approach analogous to mtCOI sequencing for barcoding multicellular organisms reveals vast numbers of very rare, highly divergent, deep sea microbes. In August 2006 PNAS (Sogin et al…
Goldilocks finds mtDNA COI barcode length “just right” for distinguishing most animal species, asks why
The standard animal barcode 648 bp of mitochondrial gene COI seems “just right” for delimiting most animal species. If it were “too short”, then closely-related species would not be resolved….
What needs explanation is the absence of variation
Results so far show most animal species correspond to clusters of closely-related mtDNA sequences, distinct from clusters of neighboring species. This patterning is so striking that if a neighbor-joining tree…
Growing libraries reinforce mtDNA sequence clustering
Growing barcode libraries confirm distinct clustering of mtDNA sequences. In early surveys of mtDNA differences, it seemed possible that as larger numbers of individuals were sampled, there would invevitably be…
Exploring unicellular eukaryotic universe with mtDNA
Most DNA barcode research to date analyzes multicellular animals, but why stop there? Unicellular eukaryotes or “protists” probably comprise most of Earth’s biomass and encompass more genetic diversity than all…
Small houses on big lots
Most animal species correspond to tight clusters of mtDNA distinct from those closely-related species. In real estate terms, most species are small houses on big lots. Small houses because intraspecific…
Dueling taxonomists agree: DNA barcoding invaluable for species identification
In October 2006 Conservation Biology, Rob DeSalle, American Museum of Natural History, comments on April 2006 CB piece on barcoding by Daniel Rubinoff, University of Hawaii (also see earlier Barcode…
Test flying DNA barcode identification
Collisions between birds and airplanes, known as birdstrikes , are an expensive hazard for civilian and military aircraft. Identification of airstrike specimens enables bird management near airfields and is essential…
Limited access limits taxonomy
Good news for taxonomic science: “New type of mouse discovered in Cyprus” today made headlines on 193 sites around the world including BBC, Reuters, CNN, ABC, NBC, Fox News, International…