Genomics Aotearoa

Data analysis skills are in hot demand – what should we be doing about it?

Genomics Aotearoa • Jul 29, 2020

• bioinformatics,
• biological sciences,
• data carpentries,
• data science,
• escience,
• genomics,
• mathematics

By Associate Professor Mik Black, Department of Biochemistry, University of Otago The increased availability of complex biological data sets means that analysis and computation are becoming critically important skills for New Zealand’s future scientists. Because of this, we need to be doing everything we can to help our students develop these skills, to better prepare them for large-scale data analysis … Read More

Better understanding bacterial blooms in New Zealand waterways

Genomics Aotearoa • Jul 13, 2020

• bacteria,
• cyanobacteria,
• genomics,
• microorganisms,
• research,
• University of Auckland,
• Water quality

Dr Kim Handley, University of Auckland Just how do cyanobacteria live in their natural habitat, and how do they coexist with other bacteria and microbial life forms? And what difference will knowledge on this bacteria have on maintaining New Zealand’s water quality? One of the consequences of declining water quality is an increase in cyanobacteria – these are photosynthetic bacteria … Read More

Genomic breakthrough in invasive species management

Genomics Aotearoa • Apr 15, 2020

• genomics,
• Predator-Free,
• Rattus Rattus,
• ship rat,
• ship rat genome

Nick Kachel The ship rat, or black rat, is one of the most infamous invasive species in the world. They’re intelligent, adaptable, and they multiply like… well… ship rats. A native to the Indian sub-continent, this pest has now spread to every corner of the globe and is an outstanding carrier for multiple zoonotic diseases – those which can be … Read More

The importance of the humble blueberry

Genomics Aotearoa • Feb 26, 2020

• blueberries,
• cranberries,
• genomics,
• Plant & Food Research

Dr David Chagné New Zealand is involved in a US$12.8 million USDA grant to improve the quality of blueberry and cranberry. The four-year project, led by North Carolina State University, is part of the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture Specialty Crop Research Initiative, which funds multi-year, multi-institutional collaborative projects. Genomics Aotearoa and Plant and Food Research Ltd have … Read More

Finish what’s on your plate

Genomics Aotearoa • Nov 04, 2019

• DNA sequences,
• fungi,
• genomics

Murray Cox Do I have to finish my favourite genome? That’s an often-asked question. Geneticists generally strive to produce high-quality genomes that sequence every last gene, making full use of the state-of-the-art technologies coming on stream. Sequencing DNA means determining the order of the four chemical building blocks – called “bases” – that make up the DNA molecule. The sequence … Read More

A passion turned into a career

Guest Author • Sep 30, 2019

• bioinformatics,
• command-line interface,
• computing

Ngoni Faya February 11, 2013 is one of the days I won’t forget in my academic life. I was so excited, enthusiastic and more than ready to pursue my Master’s programme in Bioinformatics, which was designed to start with some intense course work to get everyone up to speed with the computing skills essential for research projects. But I was … Read More

Genomics, genetic persistence and the hihi

Genomics Aotearoa • Aug 20, 2019

• conservation,
• genetic diversity,
• genomics,
• hihi,
• stitchbird

Dr Anna Santure, University of Auckland How important is genetic diversity to species persistence? This is a question we’ve been puzzling over in New Zealand, and worldwide, for some decades. It has been difficult to address using ‘traditional’ approaches to determine genetic diversity, which sample just a handful of positions in the genome. However, in recent years, with much lower … Read More

The complexity of stick insect genomes and why it could help New Zealand conservation

Genomics Aotearoa • Jul 25, 2019

• genome,
• sequencing,
• stick insects

Dr Ann McCartney We have recently completed the first high-quality genome of a stick insect using link read technology, but what does this mean? And why is a gold standard reference genome important to New Zealand’s conservation efforts? Stick insects are actually biologically interesting. Firstly, in times of stress, they have the ability to become parthenogenic, meaning the females lay … Read More

Don’t ignore the ‘omics

Genomics Aotearoa • Jul 23, 2019

• genomics,
• health inequities,
• healthcare,
• Māori,
• medical genomics

Professor Cristin Print ‘Omics technologies are an advance that few health practitioners can ignore. The last five years has seen an expanding range of technological advances. Genomics and related ‘omic technologies are rapidly penetrating into the mainstream of primary and secondary care and transforming our knowledge of disease through research. Some of these new technologies are destined to be used … Read More

A long read, and a tricky jigsaw puzzle

Genomics Aotearoa • Apr 05, 2019

• DNA sequencing,
• genome sequencing,
• long read

Peter Dearden Sequencing is an essential part of creating a genome, be it human, stick insect, kākāpō or sheep (all genomes Genomics Aotearoa is currently working on). But what is sequencing, how does it work, and why does it take so long?  And why does it matter to us? Sequencing is a laboratory process where segments of DNA base pairs … Read More