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Transposable elements (TE) largely represent what is commonly referred to as the dark matter of the genome, a non-coding portion of the genome that has so far been considered only as “selfish”” or “junk” DNA.First discovered in maize plants by Barbara McClintock, TEs are repetitive DNA sequences with the ability to mobilize within … Continue reading Studying the dark matter of the genome 09.05.2022

Our outreach activities have continued at full speed in the last months. Our journey full of scientific and dissemination efforts, challenges and successes have been constantly posted in this blog, Twitter and Instagram. An English and Italian glossary of relevant terms in evolutionary biology and conservation genetics has been created to help non-experts … Continue reading Where are we now? Part 6 – Outreach

We completed the controlled crosses to explore in vivo the functional impact of genetic load on fitness in the Atlantic sturgeon. Twelve inbred and outbred families were successfully produced, reared, and tested for fitness markers such as survival, growth, and response to light (phototaxis, details in the post: Studying the phototactic response of … Continue reading Where are we now? Part 5 – In vivo functional assays 30.03.2022

We obtained oral biopsies of the Marsican brown bear (small population) and the European brown bear (here the large Slovakian population was used as a control) to proliferate fibroblasts (live cells) in laboratory. Cell cultures were successfully established and maintained. Standard canine cell cultures and the original brown bear cell cultures described above … Continue reading Where are we now? Part 4 – In vitro functional assays 14.03.2022