Literatura reciente, 2

Rensing, SA. et al. 2008.The Physcomitrella Genome Reveals Evolutionary Insights into the Conquest of Land by Plants. Science 4 January 2008: Vol. 319. no. 5859, pp. 64 - 69

"We report the draft genome sequence of the model moss Physcomitrella patens and compare its features with those of flowering plants, from which it is separated by more than 400 million years, and unicellular aquatic algae. This comparison reveals genomic changes concomitant with the evolutionary movement to land, including a general increase in gene family complexity; loss of genes associated with aquatic environments (e.g., flagellar arms); acquisition of genes for tolerating terrestrial stresses (e.g., variation in temperature and water availability); and the development of the auxin and abscisic acid signaling pathways for coordinating multicellular growth and dehydration response. The Physcomitrella genome provides a resource for phylogenetic inferences about gene function and for experimental analysis of plant processes through this plant's unique facility for reverse genetics."

TNT ahora disponible sin costo

A partir del 20 de Noviembre del 2007, el programa TNT (Tree analysis using New Technology) creado por Pablo Goloboff, James Farris y Kevin Nixon esta disponible sin costo alguno gracias a un subsidio de la sociedad Willi Hennig.

Mas información sobre el programa y la manera de obtenerlo puede ser encontrado siguiendo esta liga.

Aqui pueden leer un review >>>

Taller de métodos filogenéticos, BML

"Phylogenetic methods have revolutionized modern systematics and become indispensable tools in evolution, ecology and comparative biology, playing an increasingly important role in analyses of biological data at levels of organization ranging from molecules to ecological communities. The construction of phylogenetic trees is becoming a methodology that is well-defined, with broad agreement on the central issues and questions. A nearly standard set of topics is now taught as part of the curriculum at many colleges and universities. On the other hand, application of phylogenetic methods to interesting problems outside of systematics is an area of special excitement, innovation, and controversy, and perspectives vary widely."

"In March, 2008, for the ninth year, we will teach a workshop for graduate students interested in applying phylogenetic methods to diverse topics in biology. The one-week course will be an intensive exploration of problems to which modern phylogenetic tools are being applied. We cover a range of topics in biogeography, ecology, conservation biology, phylogenomics, functional morphology, macroevolution, speciation, and character evolution. The course starts with recent advances in phylogenetic methodology, and then focuses on methods and tools that can be brought to bear on these "applied" issues in the context of a given phylogeny."

"Application Deadline. Applications are due by January 15, 2008."

Literatura reciente, 1

A Comprehensive Phylogeny of Beetles Reveals the Evolutionary Origins of a Superradiation.

Hunt, T. et al. Science 21 December 2007:Vol. 318. no. 5858, pp. 1913 - 1916

Beetles represent almost one-fourth of all described species, and knowledge about their relationships and evolution adds to our understanding of biodiversity. We performed a comprehensive phylogenetic analysis of Coleoptera inferred from three genes and nearly 1900 species, representing more than 80% of the world's recognized beetle families. We defined basal relationships in the Polyphaga supergroup, which contains over 300,000 species, and established five families as the earliest branching lineages. By dating the phylogeny, we found that the success of beetles is explained neither by exceptional net diversification rates nor by a predominant role of herbivory and the Cretaceous rise of angiosperms. Instead, the pre-Cretaceous origin of more than 100 present-day lineages suggests that beetle species richness is due to high survival of lineages and sustained diversification in a variety of niches.

Mathematics and Informatics in Evolution and Phylogeny

Mathematics and Informatics in Evolution and Phylogeny
June 10-12, 2008
France, Montpellier area: Hameau de l'Etoile
http://www.lirmm.fr/MIEP08/

Non-exhaustive list of topics: phylogenetics, evolutionary genetics and
genomics, molecular evolution of pathogens and epidemiology, biodiversity,
statistical modelling, algorithmics, and software development.

The number of participants will be limited. Registrations are open on
conference web site.

Doctorado en Biología Comparativa

Recientemente, el Museo Americano de Historia Natural (AMNH) en la ciudad de Nueva York adquirió una licencia para otorgar doctorados, y ahora abre las puertas a la nueva escuela de estudios de posgrado Richard Gilder para el doctorado en Biología Comparativa.



Es la primera vez que un museo de historia natural cuenta con este tipo de licencia docente de manera autónoma. Sin embargo, el AMNH cuenta con una larga experiencia en la formación de estudiantes a todos los niveles (desde preparatoria hasta doctorado), con sus programas conjuntos con varias universidades dentro del estado de Nueva York.

El museo cuenta con colecciones importantes de mastozoología, herpetología, ictiología, entomología y otros grupos de invertebrados, además de tecnología de punta en técnicas de microscopía electrónica, sistemática molecular y procesamiento de imágenes entre otras. Para la nueve escuela, el museo construyó un par de aulas y cubículos para albergar a los nuevos estudiantes.

Las inscripciones para la primera generación cierran el 28 de diciembre de 2007, generación a empezar en otoño del proximo año. Si alguien esta interesado, lo mejor es contactar lo antes posible a alguno de los curadores del area taxonómica mas cercana a sus intereses particulares.