Tag Archives: Perfect Protists

Darwin Tree of Life was on the news! 📰

Rebecca Morelle, a science editor for the BBC, picked up on the fantastic work being conducted by the scientists as part of the Darwin Tree of Life project.  How fantastic is that! We are delighted that the project is being recognised for its ambition and the ground-breaking research that it is hoping to produce. This project, to sequence over 70,000 species (yes, you heard that right, 70,000!) is ambitious for many reasons.  Not least because the goal is to make history by 2030! 8 years from now. Do you think they can do it? What is the species you would like to see sequenced next? Let us know in the comments. Jamie McGowan, who is part of the Perfect Protists team, has been busy with some pond water.  He is set up in the lab, looking through a microscope at a single drop of water. In this single drop, there … Continue reading →

Posted on June 17, 2022 by modchryssa in DToL, Update. Tagged , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

🧬 How bioinformatics can crack the complex case of protist biodiversity

We continue our protist journey by focusing upon the work of Dr Jamie McGowan, a member of our Perfect Protists team, who is collaborating with the Earlham Institute and the University of Oxford to shed some more light on these elusive species.  Jamie is working hard to catalogue the different protist species and to ‘analyse the sequencing data, assemble the genomes, work out how they are evolving and how they’re related to each other’… all on a microscopic scale! 🧬🧫 Read more about how the cutting edge research overcomes a number of challenges here 🧬🧫

Posted on March 14, 2022 by modchryssa in DToL, Update. Tagged , , , , . Leave a comment

🦠 Priest Pot: A seldom-studied protist paradise

Ever wondered what lurks beneath the surface in water bodies around the UK?  Well, to answer that question is a team of scientists from the University of Oxford who are studying the lesser known protists – single celled organisms – and their important role in developing complex ecosystems. Read more about their fieldwork journey to collect some rare samples from a hidden corner of the Lake District.

Posted on March 1, 2022 by modhannah in DToL, Update. Tagged . Leave a comment

🧬 That’s a wrap! Catch up on the full series of Genomics Lite webinars

That’s it for the Genomics Lite: Biodiversity & Evolution sessions! This June and July, Genomics Lite and the people involved in the Darwin Tree of Life project have given us all a great insight into genomics, biodiversity, and evolution. Throughout the series, the teams have: Looked at how genomics can aid our understanding of biodiversity and evolution. Discussed and compared methods and challenges in sequencing the genomes of old and new samples. Examined how humans have affected the evolution of malaria and mosquitos. Explored different careers and routes into the biodiversity and evolution fields. Even though the series has finished, you can continue learning with the Genomic Lite resources: Discover how scientists have been able to better understand the history of human evolution and whether humans are still evolving by studying the human genome. Find out more about different types of evolution and what natural selection in action looks like. … Continue reading →

Posted on July 19, 2021 by modemily in Update. Tagged , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Watch Perfect Protists and Team Marine on Genomics Lite

[caption id="attachment_6381" align="alignright" width="220"] Joanna Harley, from Team Marine, is one of the scientists taking part in Session 4[/caption]This Thursday’s Genomics Lite webinar is all about careers. Learn more about careers and routes into the biodiversity and evolution fields, and put your questions to people who’ve been in your shoes.

Session 4 will take place on Thursday 8 July, from 4.30pm to 5.30pm. Register now ❯ Continue reading →

Posted on July 6, 2021 by modjosie in Update. Tagged , , , , , . Leave a comment

Finding life in every drop of water

“If we really want to understand life, and the way that we function, we need to understand how protists fit into our lives and fit into evolution.” – Dr Sally Warring Dr Sally Warring, a member of the Perfect Protists team, recently appeared in a video by BBC Earth talking about her work, and the Darwin Tree of Life project. View Dr Sally Warring’s appearance on BBC Earth:  Ask Sally Warring a question Ask Sally Warring a question Ask This Question!

Posted on April 8, 2021 by modjosie in Update. Tagged , , , . Leave a comment

Ask the scientists:

How to use the activity

Watch the video to see what you can do on the Darwin Tree of Life site.