Evolutionary biologist. Genomics, aphids and gardening. Senior Computer Biologist at Wellcome Sanger Institute.
🐦 Why are bird genomes so difficult to assemble? Birds have dozens of tiny, gene-rich microchromosomes that are frequently fragmented, misplaced, or missing from genome assemblies despite containing important genetic information. 📖 Read the publication: lnkd.in/gar-GrKZ #BirdGenomics #Biodiversity
Evolution of genomes drives me. So does social justice. Had a blast speaking on LINE1s creating novelty in sloths genomes and Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Challenges to sequence all life on Earth with and for the benefit of all at #SMBE2026 Paper at: link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Minibwa is a hybrid of bwa-mem and minimap2 and the successor of bwa-mem for short-read mapping. ~4X/2.5X as fast as bwa-mem/bwa-mem2 for WGS reads at comparable accuracy. Native support of directional bisulfite-seq. Applicable to long reads. Preprint at arxiv.org/abs/2606.15357
Scientists have developed a new tool that makes bird genomes faster and easier to assemble — including tiny pieces of DNA that are usually missed. 🐦⬛ The new tool, known as MicroFinder, could help improve research into bird evolution, biodiversity and conservation. 👇 http://bit.ly/4wG023C
New tool helps accurately assemble notoriously difficult bird genomesMicroFinder can be used to assemble bird genomes much quicker and more accurately than ever before.www.sanger.ac.uk
New tool alert! MicroFinder, just published in GigaScience, helps assemble notoriously tricky bird genomes—faster & more accurately than ever before. doi.org/10.1093/giga...; www.sanger.ac.uk/news_item/ne...
MicroFinder: conserved gene-set mapping and assembly ordering for manual curation of bird dot microchromosomesAbstractBackground. Obtaining chromosomally complete genome assemblies across the tree of life is an important goal of biodiversity genomics. However, somedoi.orgBit late posting this... MicroFinder is now published in GigaScience: academic.oup.com/gigascience/....
MicroFinder: conserved gene-set mapping and assembly ordering for manual curation of bird dot microchromosomesAbstractBackground. Obtaining chromosomally complete genome assemblies across the tree of life is an important goal of biodiversity genomics. However, someacademic.oup.com
A big preprint from my group! Muller Elements are considered to be conserved in flies. We tested it by reconstructing the ancestral dipteran karyotype using 340 chromosomal genomes and suprise suprise, they're not... Led by @juliagries.bsky.social and Sam Ebdon. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... 🧵👇
It's been really fascinating learning all about the quirks of micro- and dot-chromosomes from experts like Dr @tom-mathers.bsky.social here at the @sangerinstitute.bsky.social! The beautiful bird photo features a black-headed gull, captured by one of our staff members/birders in procurement! 📸
Wellcome Sanger InstituteScientists have developed a new tool that makes bird genomes faster and easier to assemble — including tiny pieces of DNA that are usually missed. 🐦⬛ The new tool, known as MicroFinder, could help improve research into bird evolution, biodiversity and conservation. 👇 http://bit.ly/4wG023C
New preprint on pop #genomics of #spittlebug—the main insect vector of Xylella, the bacterium that has ravaged olive groves in southern Italy 🇮🇹 🫒 Take-home: problematic insect vector may be less widespread than initially thought—important implications for disease control 💥 👇
Roberto BielloWe have a new preprint! In this study, we use #genomic data to uncover population structure and adaptive potential in the meadow #spittlebug, the main European #vector of #Xylella fastidiosa.
We have a new preprint! In this study, we use #genomic data to uncover population structure and adaptive potential in the meadow #spittlebug, the main European #vector of #Xylella fastidiosa.
bioRxiv Evolutionary BiologyWhole-Genome Population Genomics Reveals Lineage Structure and Adaptive Potential of Philaenus spumarius, the Principal Vector of Xylella fastidiosa in Europe https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2025.12.12.693891v1
Preprint Alert! 🦥 We produced complete genomes for 2 Xenarthra and placed them in a mammalian comparative framework. We found that Xenarthra harbour the largest number of retrocopies in mammals! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Retrocopy formation and domestication shape genome evolution in sloths and other xenarthransXenarthrans, comprising sloths, anteaters, and armadillos, represent one of the most morphologically and physiologically specialised mammalian clades, yet the genomic basis of their adaptations remain...www.biorxiv.orgNow out! Paper led by @philmor1964.bsky.social and the The Cetacean Genomes Project. An effort by many, we present 13 new, high-quality reference genomes for cetaceans 🐬🐋 following @vertebrategenomes.bsky.social and @ebpgenome.bsky.social standards for a group that is very hard to sample from.
Albuquerque characterized the satellitome of the pea aphid, with results suggesting that satDNAs contribute to genome evolution, biotype divergence, and the “fast-X” effect. 🔗 doi.org/10.1093/gbe/evaf104 #genome #satellitome
Exploring the Satellitome of the Pest Aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum (Hemiptera, Aphididae): Insights Into Genome Organization and Intraspecies EvolutionAbstract. Satellite DNAs (satDNAs), ubiquitous sequences in eukaryotic genomes, play a crucial role in genome organization, function, and evolution. The pedoi.org