Freethinker’s 2010 Book Club Update

March 1, 2010 in Books, postdoc by Kris | 2 comments

So we’re coming to the end of February, and I’m still reading Darwin’s Sacred Cause, having rechecked it from the library – twice.  Not able to get as much pleasure reading done as I had planned, especially this semester.  I’m taking three classes (Epidemiology, Biostats II, and Grant Writing), plus developing my own research projects and participating in a faculty development program.  I’m also in the process of prepping for two conferences this Spring, and writing up portions of my dissertation for publication (looks like 4 articles). All great things that I’m thoroughly enjoying, but I still have a couple of chapters to go on January’s book.

Not that I haven’t gotten any reading done.  I have a bit of a commute, so I’ve tapped into the audiobook offerings at my local library, and this month I listened to Emma by Jane Austen, and Full House by Steven Jay Gould.  I wish more of the books for this year’s book club were available in audio format, as it would make better use of my time.

Going forward, I think what I’ll do (at least until summer) is choose two books for the month, and pick one to read.

The picks for March are:

Remarkable Creatures: Epic Adventures in the Search for the Origin of Species

Lives in Science: How Institutions Affect Academic Careers

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Speaking of Spring conferences, the first one is coming up next week.  I’ll be tweeting from the Interdisciplinary Exploration of Migration (#kumigration).

Paleo-Eskimo Genome Sequenced

February 14, 2010 in Anthropology, Genetics by Kris | 2 comments

ResearchBlogging.orgAs reported in the New York Times, the cover article of Nature this week describes the sequencing of a Paleo-Eskimo genome from Greenland.  This is the first ancient sequence from the New World, and is important for a number of reasons:

  • The sequence analysis was conducted from a sample of human hair that was recovered from permafrost, and the DNA was recovered from the hair shaft, not the root. This opens a whole new avenue of paleogenomic research.
  • SNP analysis shows that the hair belonged to an individual who carried a number of traits frequently found in modern Asian populations, including shovel-shaped incisors and dry ear wax.
  • 85-87% of the genome was sequenced – phenomenal coverage given the age of the sample.

Chukchi women (seated front right), circa 1906

  • Population genetic analysis (principle component analysis of genetic distances) revealed the closest relationship between the Greenland genome and the Chukchi, a population in northern Siberia, suggesting a recent migration (in the last ~5,000 years) from Siberia across the Arctic to Greenland. This would be in addition to the three migrations (Amerind, Na-Dene, and Eskimo-Aleut) traditionally hypothesized for the peopling of the New World.

Rasmussen et al. (2010) Figure 3b. PCA of populations - Saqqaq genome indicated by star.

I was disappointed that more North American samples weren’t included in the analysis.  With the exception of populations from West and East Greenland, Na-Dene in western Canada, and Aleuts, the only other Native American groups are from Central and South America. But overall, this study demonstrates how ancient DNA analysis can help answer historical questions.

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Disclaimer: One of the co-authors (Michael Crawford) was my graduate mentor. Which, for me, makes this study even more awesome.

Image credit: Wikimedia Commons

Rasmussen, M., Li, Y., Lindgreen, S., Pedersen, J., Albrechtsen, A., Moltke, I., Metspalu, M., Metspalu, E., Kivisild, T., Gupta, R., Bertalan, M., Nielsen, K., Gilbert, M., Wang, Y., Raghavan, M., Campos, P., Kamp, H., Wilson, A., Gledhill, A., Tridico, S., Bunce, M., Lorenzen, E., Binladen, J., Guo, X., Zhao, J., Zhang, X., Zhang, H., Li, Z., Chen, M., Orlando, L., Kristiansen, K., Bak, M., Tommerup, N., Bendixen, C., Pierre, T., Grønnow, B., Meldgaard, M., Andreasen, C., Fedorova, S., Osipova, L., Higham, T., Ramsey, C., Hansen, T., Nielsen, F., Crawford, M., Brunak, S., Sicheritz-Pontén, T., Villems, R., Nielsen, R., Krogh, A., Wang, J., & Willerslev, E. (2010). Ancient human genome sequence of an extinct Palaeo-Eskimo Nature, 463 (7282), 757-762 DOI: 10.1038/nature08835

The Necessity of Mentors

February 12, 2010 in Education, Science by Kris | 2 comments

A subject that’s been on my mind quite a bit this week, and coincidentally, several related things have popped up on my radar. First, a video from SciVee, intended for high school girls who might be considering a career in science.

The best advice? Just do it. If that’s what your passion is, go for it.

When I was a very little girl, I remember my father coming to pick me up from daycare one day. I was in tears, and when he asked me what was wrong, I told him that my teacher had asked all of us to tell what we wanted to be when we grew up. When I said that I wanted to be an astronaut, my teacher said I couldn’t because I was a girl (this was pre-Sally Ride). My father confronted the teacher, and informed her that his daughter could be anything she wanted to be. Knowing that a trusted adult believed in me gave me the confidence to pursue my dreams. Just one of the reasons I adore my dad.

Sally Ride - First American Woman in Space

My high school biology class turned my attention from outer space to DNA. After those Punnett squares, I never looked back. But that confidence in my abilities never wavered.

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Also, the National Postdoctoral Association posted their 6 Core Competencies for postdocs:

to offer guidance to individual postdoctoral scholars who must seek out relevant training experiences, in collaboration with mentors, institutions, and other advisors who provide this training…These competencies are meant to serve primarily as: (1) a basis for self-evaluation by postdoctoral scholars and (2) a basis for developing training opportunities that can be evaluated by mentors, institutions, and other advisors.

Postdocs can use the checklist to identify areas for future development, and as a springboard for discussion with their mentors.

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Finally, an article from Science Careers – Reaching gender equity in science: The importance of role models and mentors.

One of the factors that has inspired more women to pursue scientific careers has been having examples of successful women who have done the same.

I feel very fortunate to have a team of mentors, one of whom is a very prolific and successful scientist, woman, and mother.  When I started graduate school, my concern was mostly with the academics. Completing my courses, making sure I had enough time in the lab to get my research done, writing.  I hadn’t really considered the importance of mentoring in establishing my career. I can see now that it is essential, and especially beneficial to have a group of senior researchers interested in your professional development, even if their advice seems sometimes contradictory.  And while this may not be the case for some postdocs, I know that they all genuinely have my best interests in mind.  I’m beginning to see my graduate training, and by extension my postdoc, as an apprenticeship.  A position where I learn how to be a scientist, with all the core competencies that entails.

The Anthropology Song

February 11, 2010 in Anthropology by Kris | 3 comments

By Dai Cooper, via my grad student listserv.

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XKCD: Science Montage

February 8, 2010 in Science by Kris | No comments

Science Montage

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