Welcome to the Murdoch University Ancient DNA Research Lab website. The lab is located in Perth, Western Australia. The purpose of this website is to promote the research that the lab undertakes and to provide information about our research activites to the public, collaborators and prospective students.
Don't know what ancient DNA is? then click here.
The website content falls into the following five categories and is best navigated using the tabs above.
Interested in a phd or honors project in 2008? Both the ancient DNA and wildlife genetics labs have projects and potentially funding for research projects starting in 2008. If you are interested please contact us to discuss project ideas.
click here to view a pdf of potential projects.
Sept 2007: Isolating DNA from 1/2 million year old bacteria: PNAS paper. Exactly how
bacterial cells can survive for thousands of years, encapsulated in ice, amber
and other materials has been the subject of much debate. The predominant
hypothesis is that the cells are dormant enabling them to survive harsh
conditions. But such dormancy usually stops metabolism, including DNA repair.
Without constant maintenance the genome is vulnerable to chemical reactions
that damage the DNA. Eventually cells accumulate so much damage that the
reproduction is not possible.
Bacterial samples sealed in Siberian permafrost that has been undisturbed for more than half a million years were collected and analysed. The researchers amplified long pieces of DNA and measured the respiration of the ancient cells to determine if they were alive. Johnson et al. detected metabolic activity in ice samples up to 600,000 yeas old and reveal that the key to the longevity of these bacteria is continuous DNA repair. The authors suggest that permafrost environments around the world may harbor species of viable bacteria adapted to past environments. They also raise the point that similar life detection strategies might be employed on ice from Mars or Europa to investigate if these environments ever harbored life.
For more information check out the article at the PNAS website
and the following web link to a story at ABC online
July 2007: Greenland aDNA paper published in Science: Our lab was part of an international research team (lead by Prof Eske Willerslev) that was published in Science. The research showed that DNA from sediments under the Greenland icecap, dating back more than 450,000 years, – was once inhabited by a diverse array of conifer trees and insects. The research is fascinating as it demonstrates that preserved DNA from plants, animals, insects and bacteria that died hundreds of thousands of years ago can aid in our understanding of how the earth’s environment has changed over time. See news item in the Sydney Morning Herald:
Oct,2006: Lab awarded an ARC discovery grant:
The Murdoch Ancient DNA lab has just received a three-year ARC discovery grant for $ 195,000 to study long term DNA survival in Australia. The research funding will assess DNA preservation in sites across Australia and develop techniques for its extraction and amplification. In collaboration with Dr Stuart Pearson the project will initially focus on the middens of the extinct Stick Nest Rat which appear to be genetic “time capsules” of past environments. DNA survival in the cave sediments will also be investigated (in collaboration with Dr Joe Dortch).
Initially, research output will consist of descriptions of the presence or absence of extant and locally extinct species, at specific times, in relation to modern distributions. The long-term outputs of this research program will focus on comparing patterns of biodiversity and how they have changed over time in response to climate change, extinctions and invasions.
The lab and its collaborators are grateful to the ARC for this support.
Sept, 2006: Funding to research the extinct New Zealand Moa: Funding has just been secured for $825,000 (NZD) from the Marsden Fund to study the population structure of the extinct New Zealand moa in North Canterbury. Researchers in New Zealand (lead by Prof Richard Holdaway - University of Canterbury) will be conducting in-depth isotope profiles of moa from bones. The Murdoch ancient DNA lab together with Prof Eske Willerslev (Centre for Ancient Genetics, University of Copenhagen) will be profiling ancient DNA (mitochondrial and nuclear) from approximately 300 specimens from two adjacent swamps. DNA profiling of sediments from the site will also be carried out. The goal of this research is to increase our understanding of moa ecology and the environment which they occupied. For the press release on this funding click here.
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