News

Large-scale DNA study maps 37,000 years of human disease history

11 July 2025

A new study maps infectious diseases across millennia and offers new insight into how human-animal interactions permanently transformed our health landscape. A research team led by Eske Willerslev, professor at the University of Copenhagen and the University of Cambridge, has recovered ancient DNA from 214 known human...

Senior-author Hannes Svardal pinning Malawi cichlid specimens on a board for preservation.

How ‘supergenes’ help fish evolve into new species

16 June 2025

Researchers have found that chunks of ‘flipped’ DNA can help fish quickly adapt to new habitats and evolve into new species, acting as evolutionary ‘superchargers’. Why are there so many different kinds of animals and plants on Earth? One of biology’s big questions is how new species arise and how nature’s incredible...

J. Victor Moreno Mayar, Clifford Tsosie, Eske Willerslev and Thomaz Pinotti. Credit David Meltzer

Federal tribe uses ancient DNA to establish genetic link to ancestral sacred sites

9 May 2025

Using tiny fragments of bones and teeth dated to between 500 and 700 years ago, along with saliva samples from living members of the Picuris Pueblo, Willerslev and his team at the University of Copenhagen have demonstrated a genetic link between the Picuris Pueblo and the Pueblo Bonito site in Chaco Canyon. Located in the...

Successful Wellcome Trust Discovery Award

21 March 2025

We are pleased to announce that Professor Richard Durbin and Dr Felipe Karam-Teixeira have been awarded a Wellcome Trust Discovery Award for their research on genome evolution and function: 'Genome evolution driven by transposable element across the Tree of Life'. Their work focuses on how genome sequencing across species...

A structured coalescent model reveals deep ancestral links across all modern humans

21 March 2025

Recently published in Nature, Trevor Cousins, Aylwyn Scally and Richard Durbin are trying to understand how ancient human populations mixed and changed in size over time, which is key to studying human evolution. They developed a new genetic model, called COBRAA , that helps track how ancient groups split apart and later...

System to auto-detect new variants will inform better response to future infectious disease outbreaks

10 January 2025

Phylowave; The latest framework developed by researchers to identify more infectious variants of viruses or bacteria, including those responsible for flu, COVID, whooping cough and tuberculosis. Noémie Le Franq , lead author, has had her manuscript published in Nature on 01 January 2025. Noémie was a joint PhD student...

The Infinite Monkey Cage

18 December 2024

Dr Ben Steventon featured on the latest episode of the Infinite Monkey Cage, 'The Science of Baby Making', which aired on Thursday 05 December. Professor Brian Coz and Robin Ince were joined by Sara Pascoe, Professor Joyce Harper and Dr Ben Steventon to discuss all things embryology, IVF and artificial wombs. You can...

Professional Services Recognition Scheme - Award Winners 2024

18 December 2024

We are absolutely delighted to report that for the fourth year in a row members of the Department were announced as winners in the Professional Services Recognition ceremony on Thursday 05 December 2024. Emily Kempin was the winner of the individual award in the new Improving Our Environmental Performance category...

ERC Consolidator Grants 2024

18 December 2024

We are delighted to share that Dr Henrik Salje has been awarded an ERC Consolidator Grant, as only 1 in 4 Life Sciences awarded in the UK. He will be exploring how host, immunity and mosquito factors combine to determine the evolving fitness of the dengue virus The title of the project is: Linking vector, virus and...

Sir Kenneth Mather Memorial Prize 2025

22 November 2024

Many congratulations to Noémie Lefranq on being awarded the 2025 Sir Kenneth Mather Memorial Prize by the Genetics Society. Noémie was a joint PhD student between the Pathogen Dynamics Group at the Department of Genetics and the Pathogen Genomics and Evolution Group at the Department of Veterinary Medicine. She worked on...

Large-scale DNA study maps 37,000 years of human disease history

How ‘supergenes’ help fish evolve into new species

Federal tribe uses ancient DNA to establish genetic link to ancestral sacred sites

Successful Wellcome Trust Discovery Award

A structured coalescent model reveals deep ancestral links across all modern humans

System to auto-detect new variants will inform better response to future infectious disease outbreaks

The Infinite Monkey Cage

Professional Services Recognition Scheme - Award Winners 2024

ERC Consolidator Grants 2024

Sir Kenneth Mather Memorial Prize 2025

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