Springer Nature

In September Heredity unveiled the winners of its first ever prize for best student-led paper. In this episode we explore this collection of outstanding research with the help of Emily Baker, The Genetics Society’s postgraduate representative, the overall winner, Donald McKnight, and the Editor-in-Chief of Heredity Prof. Barbara Mable. Tune in to hear some fascinating science and learn some top-tips for writing a prize-winning manuscript.

Associated collection: First annual Heredity prize for the Best Student Paper

https://www.nature.com/collections/iihfghjfei

Within the Brazilian mangroves resides some of the most unique organisms on Earth: killifish. Specifically, two species within the genus Kryptolebias, which are the only known vertebrates to reproduce through self-fertilisation. What impact does this unusual mating system have on their population genetic structure? Dr Waldir Berbel-Filho ventured into the inhospitable mangroves to discover the answer.

Associated article: More than meets the eye: syntopic and morphologically similar mangrove killifish species show different mating systems and patterns of genetic structure along the Brazilian coast

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41437-020-00356-y

Modern Pathology Editor in Chief discusses with Laura Wood MD PhD her recent study on quantitative assessment of residual pancreatic intraductal carcinoma following neoadjuvant chemotherapy. The implications of finding that the intraductal component of pancreatic cancer is more resistant to chemotherapy are highlighted.

Associated article: Intraductal pancreatic cancer is less responsive than cancer in the stroma to neoadjuvant chemotherapy

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41379-020-0572-6

Specialty clinics are an exceptional resource, but research has shown that 95% of those with Down syndrome lack direct access to a Down syndrome specialty clinic. Yet, those with Down syndrome are more likely to be up-to-date with health-care guidelines if their caregivers have access to an online health-care tool. On this month’s GenePod, Brian Skotko, MD, MPP, director of the Down Syndrome Program at MassGeneral Hospital for Children discusses a web-based tool that dramatically improved patients’ likelihood of being up-to-date on Down syndrome health-care guidelines.

Related Article: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41436-020-00952-7

Join Prof. Daniel Blumstein (UCLA) as he discusses his new popular science book The Nature of Fear: Survival Lessons from the Wild. Prof. Blumstein has scoured the animal kingdom in search of better ways for us to live wisely with this primordial emotion and cope with risk. It’s a journey that’s involved diving with giant clams, biking through tiger country, and developing an inordinate fondness for marmots.

The genetic structure of a population can shape an organism’s ecology and evolution. However, that structure often changes depending on the geographic scale you’re looking at. In this episode Dr Alex Twyford (University of Edinburgh) discusses the complicated genetic structures displayed by an emerging model – the yellow monkey flower, Mimulus guttatus. A proud botanist, Dr Twyford also explores the issue of ‘plant blindness’: the unfortunate tendency of biologists to overlook the research value, and potential, of plant systems.

Associated article: Multi-level patterns of genetic structure and isolation by distance in the widespread plant Mimulus guttatus

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41437-020-0335-7

A novel tumor type with EWSR-CREB fusions blending features of Angiomatoid FH and Mesothelioma; a discussion with the author Pedram Argani.

Associated article:

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41379-020-0646-5

The application of the study of genetics and the use of big data to identify patterns of inheritance as well as de novo mutations has had a dramatic impact on the field of Autism Spectrum Disorder research, and it offers pathways to a greater understanding of biological mechanisms, even potentially treatments. Matthew State, chair of the department of psychiatry at University of California San Francisco, and his colleagues wrote a review paper in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology, called “Leveraging large genomic datasets to illuminate the pathobiology of autism spectrum disorders.” Have a listen to learn more!

Related Article - https://www.nature.com/articles/s41386-020-0768-y

Smoking in adults and adolescents is at an all-time low today, yet around 1 in 2 children who visit the Emergency Department have been exposed to tobacco smoke. We know that there numerous health consequences associated with tobacco smoke exposure (TSE), and that this also comes at a substantial monetary cost- in 2010, child tobacco smoke exposure resulted in more than 101,570 annual ED visits, costing nearly $63 million. In this episode, we meet Early Career Investigator, Ashley Merianos from the University of Cincinnati and Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, who performed a cross-sectional analysis of children visiting the ED in order to assess the contribution of child TSE on healthcare resource utilization patterns.

Related Article: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41390-020-0997-0

Museum collections play a vital role in active research and conservation programmes, and in this episode we’re going to explore a prime example of just how valuable they can be. Join Kyle Ewart (University of Sydney; Australian Museum Research Institute) and Leo Joseph (Australian National Wildlife Collection, CSIRO) as they discuss their recent research on the iconic red-tailed black-cockatoo, and their discovery of a new subspecies that was hidden in plain sight.

Associated article: Phylogeography of the iconic Australian red-tailed black-cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus banksii) and implications for its conservation

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41437-020-0315-y