The Spring 2022 Biology Seminar Series continues with a talk from Dr. Jessie Salter, "Historical DNA solves an evolutionary mystery and explains the origin of a novel phenotype in New World quails." The seminar is on Tuesday, March 15th, at 12:00pm.
Observations of phenotypic diversity among closely-related organisms, especially those preserved as museum specimens, have driven the fields of systematics, taxonomy, and evolutionary biology for hundreds of years. In recent years, improvements in sequencing and laboratory techniques have enabled the collection of genome-scale data from many of these historical museum specimens, unlocking the potential for incorporating historical specimens into studies of phylogenomics, population genetics, and phenotypic evolution. My interest in these questions developed during my time as an 海角社区 undergrad working in the Moore Laboratory of Zoology, and inspired me to complete my PhD at Louisiana State University. I am currently a National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, where I am continuing my research using modern and historical museum specimens to answer evolutionary questions within a surprisingly diverse group of birds, the New World quails.
Please reach out to oasin@oxy.edu for Zoom details.