This heading includes several more specific ancient DNA research projects currently underway. We are interested in how various species of megafauna respond to environmental and habitat change throughout the Pleistocene, and what role ecology, natural history, climate and community-level dynamics played in the megafaunal mass extinctions that occurred ca. 10-15,000 years ago. Key collaborators: Ian Barnes, Eske Willerslev, Duane Froese, Grant Zazula.

Recent statistical innovations have made it possible to co-estimate molecular rates, demographic histories and phylogenetic relationships in populations that can be sampled through time. While large mammals fall into this category (when ancient samples are available) by far the riches source of these data are RNA viruses, whose fast rate of mutation makes it easy to see evolution happening over only a few years. Key collaborators: Eddie Holmes, Andrew Rambaut, Marc Suchard.

The dodo is the most famous of all recently extinct species, and while we're pretty sure it was our fault, we still don't know how quickly that extinction happened, or how many other species on Mauritius were similarly affected by the arrival of humans in the 1600s. Key collaborators: Kenneth Rijsdijk, Julian Hume, Anwar Janoo, Matthew Collins.

Despite the growing number of complete genome sequences available for all the major groups of RNA viruses, there is as yet no consensus as to how these viruses came to be. Although RNA viruses are predicted to have been among the first life forms to evolve (the RNA World hypothesis), molecular clock estimates consistently predict that RNA virus origins are much more recent. The problem stems from their fast rate of evolution, and from our inability to accurately model how viruses evolve over the medium and long term. Key collaborators: Eddie Holmes.

crystal structure of a conserved RNA
element in SARS. Image from PLoS

all about bears

Bears were one of the most dynamic large predators during the Late Pleistocene, and are particularly interesting because they, unlike so many other large mammals of the time, survived the megafaunal mass extinction. But what have they been doing since then? Phylogenetic and phylogeogrpahic analyses suggest they survived in local glacial refugia, from which they have been expanding over the last 10,000 years. But where are they going? And what exactly is a polar bear? Key collaborators: Ian Barnes, Gennady Baryshnakov, Michi Hofreiter.

Everyone wants to know how closely related we are to neanderthals, and thanks to ancient DNA we just may, possibly, if we're lucky, maybe, might be able to find out. In the meantime, we should be able to learn interesting things about what neanderthals ate, where they lived, and what their populations looked like in comparison to those of anatomically modern humans. Key collaborators: Richard Pinhasi, Chris Stringer, Tom Higham, Richard Bailey.

Let's face it, zebras are pretty funny looking. In particular Grevy's Zebra, which are not only beautiful but increasingly endangered. But what do those stripes actually mean, and is it possible to use them as nature's bar code, to learn about the ecology, behaviour and social structure of this dynamic herbivore? Key collaborator: Dan Rubenstein.

This is a new idea, and it might not work. Watch this space for more information. Key collaborators: Tom Smith, Bob Wayne.