The origins of Australia's non-Pama-Nyungan speaking people. This project aims to test the likelihood of multiple migrations into Australia before European arrival and determine if the phylogenetic relationships among non-Pama-Nyungan languages is mirrored by their speakers’ genomic phylogenetic relationships. The non-Pama-Nyungan First People of Australia speak an extraordinary number and diversity of Aboriginal languages, but the origins of these languages and the genomic diversity of the peop ....The origins of Australia's non-Pama-Nyungan speaking people. This project aims to test the likelihood of multiple migrations into Australia before European arrival and determine if the phylogenetic relationships among non-Pama-Nyungan languages is mirrored by their speakers’ genomic phylogenetic relationships. The non-Pama-Nyungan First People of Australia speak an extraordinary number and diversity of Aboriginal languages, but the origins of these languages and the genomic diversity of the people who speak them are only now starting to be understood. There is a remarkable concordance between the Pama-Nyungan languages and the genomic diversity of their speakers. This research could show whether genomes change languages or vice versa, or whether they evolve together over time.Read moreRead less
The adaptive evolution of key methane-utilising microorganisms. This project aims to characterise the evolutionary adaptations of a group of microorganisms with a key role in mitigating the release of methane into the atmosphere. Innovative molecular and visualisation-based approaches will be applied to uncover their metabolic diversity and evolutionary history. An important outcome of this study will be the comprehensive understanding of the contribution and impact these microorganisms have on ....The adaptive evolution of key methane-utilising microorganisms. This project aims to characterise the evolutionary adaptations of a group of microorganisms with a key role in mitigating the release of methane into the atmosphere. Innovative molecular and visualisation-based approaches will be applied to uncover their metabolic diversity and evolutionary history. An important outcome of this study will be the comprehensive understanding of the contribution and impact these microorganisms have on the global carbon cycle, which will importantly inform accurate climate change models. This has clear benefits for society, given the precision of such models is essential in our ability to minimise the impact and associated cost of global warming.Read moreRead less
The genetics of four ancient 'Kings' of Sahul and Sunda. This project aims to recover all the genetic information from four ancient humans. Two of these iconic specimens come from Australia and two from Malaysia. We will sequence the entire DNA (genomes) and proteins (proteome) of Mungo Man (Willandra), the Yidinji King (Cairns), the Deep Skull (Borneo) and the Bewah specimen (Malaysian Peninsula). This will provide a better understanding of the settlement of Australia and new knowledge about th ....The genetics of four ancient 'Kings' of Sahul and Sunda. This project aims to recover all the genetic information from four ancient humans. Two of these iconic specimens come from Australia and two from Malaysia. We will sequence the entire DNA (genomes) and proteins (proteome) of Mungo Man (Willandra), the Yidinji King (Cairns), the Deep Skull (Borneo) and the Bewah specimen (Malaysian Peninsula). This will provide a better understanding of the settlement of Australia and new knowledge about the ancient people of Australasia and their relationship to other human populations worldwide. The research will use cutting-edge methods of DNA and protein sequencing of ancient human material and will provide critical reference genomes / proteomes that will anchor future research.Read moreRead less
Understanding specificity and flexibility in coral symbioses. This project aims to understand why some corals can switch algal partners while others remain faithful to a single strain. This is important because corals depend on their symbiotic algal partners for survival and because some algae provide greater resilience to environmental stress than others. This project will greatly enhance our understanding of the molecular and physiological factors governing flexibility and specificity in coral ....Understanding specificity and flexibility in coral symbioses. This project aims to understand why some corals can switch algal partners while others remain faithful to a single strain. This is important because corals depend on their symbiotic algal partners for survival and because some algae provide greater resilience to environmental stress than others. This project will greatly enhance our understanding of the molecular and physiological factors governing flexibility and specificity in coral-algal symbioses. It will provide much-needed knowledge required to identify associations most appropriate for specific conditions, prioritise populations for conservation, and assess the feasibility of new approaches to managing and restoring coral reefs.
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Decoding miRNA regulated genetic circuits. This project will aim to develop a much better understanding of how the process of making proteins from genes is regulated, and will develop scientific software capable of predicting how a cell will respond to changes in this regulation. The results will have widespread use, including assistance in deciding the best treatments for genetic diseases.
System-level characterisation of the siphonophore, Indo-Pacific man o' war. The Indo-Pacific man o' war (bluebottle), is a cnidarian from the siphonophore order. These animals frequent Australian beaches in swarms and cause thousands of stings every year. The project proposes to profile the genome, transcriptome, epigenome, and proteome of the bluebottle to gain insight into its life cycle, its behaviour, and toxins. Expected outcomes include the generation of novel information related to bluebo ....System-level characterisation of the siphonophore, Indo-Pacific man o' war. The Indo-Pacific man o' war (bluebottle), is a cnidarian from the siphonophore order. These animals frequent Australian beaches in swarms and cause thousands of stings every year. The project proposes to profile the genome, transcriptome, epigenome, and proteome of the bluebottle to gain insight into its life cycle, its behaviour, and toxins. Expected outcomes include the generation of novel information related to bluebottle gene regulation and its toxin repertoire, which will be highly beneficial for the design of future sting treatment strategies. Given that the bluebottle is a colony made of functionally specialised polyps, this study will also provide significant novel insight into the origins and evolution of animal multicellularity.Read moreRead less
Unlocking the genetic and biochemical potential of kangaroo paws. Using cutting-edge gene technology and an interdisciplinary approach, this project aims to uncover the genes responsible for flower colour in the iconic kangaroo paws of Western Australia, and identify the compounds that produce the colours. The project expects to produce the first entire kangaroo paw genome and identify unique genetic variants and biochemicals underlying colour differences. This new knowledge should help horticul ....Unlocking the genetic and biochemical potential of kangaroo paws. Using cutting-edge gene technology and an interdisciplinary approach, this project aims to uncover the genes responsible for flower colour in the iconic kangaroo paws of Western Australia, and identify the compounds that produce the colours. The project expects to produce the first entire kangaroo paw genome and identify unique genetic variants and biochemicals underlying colour differences. This new knowledge should help horticultural programs to more easily breed varieties with desirable and highly marketable new colours, and could assist in conserving these amazing Australian plants.Read moreRead less
Exploring the Black Box of Archaeal Methane Metabolism. This project aims to build on new discoveries about how ancient microorganisms belonging to the Archaea that process methane, a significant greenhouse gas. This project expects to generate new data about how these novel Archaea are able to generate/digest methane and other non-methane carbon substrates through metabolic pathways using an interdisciplinary approach. Expected outcomes of this Project include improved techniques to grow these ....Exploring the Black Box of Archaeal Methane Metabolism. This project aims to build on new discoveries about how ancient microorganisms belonging to the Archaea that process methane, a significant greenhouse gas. This project expects to generate new data about how these novel Archaea are able to generate/digest methane and other non-methane carbon substrates through metabolic pathways using an interdisciplinary approach. Expected outcomes of this Project include improved techniques to grow these ancient microorganisms, investigate how they process methane, and understand how they contribute to the global carbon cycle. This will provide significant benefits, such as understanding the how the cycling of methane and non-methane compounds by novel Archaea can be manipulated in anaerobic environments.Read moreRead less
Changing the classification status quo with a global genome-based taxonomy. A grand challenge in biology is the reconstruction of the complete evolutionary history of life on our planet. A major hurdle to this goal has been the inability to culture most microbial species which comprise the bulk of evolutionary diversity. However, new molecular techniques have removed this hurdle and >1,000 new microbial species are being revealed each month through sequencing of environmental samples. This proje ....Changing the classification status quo with a global genome-based taxonomy. A grand challenge in biology is the reconstruction of the complete evolutionary history of life on our planet. A major hurdle to this goal has been the inability to culture most microbial species which comprise the bulk of evolutionary diversity. However, new molecular techniques have removed this hurdle and >1,000 new microbial species are being revealed each month through sequencing of environmental samples. This project aims to organise both cultured and uncultured microbial diversity into a systematic evolutionary framework to replace the current highly flawed and incomplete classification of microorganisms. The systematic classification of the microbial world is timely and will enable fundamental insights into ecology and evolution.Read moreRead less
Genomics and evolution of symbiont transmission in coral reefs. This project aims to understand more deeply the symbiosis between coral and the alga Symbiodinium that underpins the primary productivity, biodiversity and economic impacts of Australia's iconic Great Barrier Reef. Reef-building corals are sustained by symbiosis between the coral and the alga Symbiodinium, and breakdown of symbiosis under environmental stress leads to coral bleaching and death. This project aims to understand how ge ....Genomics and evolution of symbiont transmission in coral reefs. This project aims to understand more deeply the symbiosis between coral and the alga Symbiodinium that underpins the primary productivity, biodiversity and economic impacts of Australia's iconic Great Barrier Reef. Reef-building corals are sustained by symbiosis between the coral and the alga Symbiodinium, and breakdown of symbiosis under environmental stress leads to coral bleaching and death. This project aims to understand how genomes of differently acquired Symbiodinium have evolved to support symbiosis with corals, through sequencing of algal genomes of Symbiodinium. This knowledge will improve the precision in predicting change to inform decision-making strategies in the conservation and restoration of coral reefs.Read moreRead less