While there is little doubt that the grey wolf is one of the world's most iconic species, it is equally true that it is one of the world's most reviled. This later sentiment has seen them extirpated from much of their former habitat. However, in a few places, wolves are making a comeback. In this episode, Sarah Hendricks, Dr Rena M. Schweizer and Prof. Robert Wayne discuss their recent research exploring the genetic history of naturally re-established wolf populations in the US states of Oregon and Washington: their discovery that some of these populations represent a genetic mixing of two distinct ecotypes presents challenges for current conservation policy in the country, and raises the question: what wolf belongs where?

Related article:

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41437-018-0094-x

Every winter, geneticists from around the world brave the unpredictable weather to gather for the annual Population Genetics Group Conference. This year, Oxford Brookes University played host to the 52nd such meeting, and with a delegate list of almost 250 researchers, a programme of 106 talks, and around 41 posters, it proved to be a three day celebration of the latest and greatest research in the field of population genetics. In this episode, we hear from the conference organisers, the renowned plenary speakers, and the student prize winners. So settle in and listen to this Heredity Podcast special on PopGroup 52!

Related article:

27 years of prenatal diagnosis for Huntington disease in the United Kingdom

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41436-018-0367-z

Metabolomics has the potential to identify specific targets for primary prevention of metabolic disease. Studies in adults have shown that lean vs obese people show distinct differences in their metabolite composition, sometimes preceding the development of established risk factors associated with metabolic disease. The literature in paediatric populations, however is scant.

In this episode, we speak to Prof. Wei Perng, who during her time at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, examined the associations between metabolite composition and metabolic risk across adolescence.

Related links:

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41390-018-0195-5

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41390-018-0232-4

Pediatric asthma is a chronic, heterogeneous disease that can be triggered by environmental exposures, leading to urgent medical visits.

Numerous studies have demonstrated increases in emergency department visits and hospitalizations in association with increasing concentrations of outdoor ambient pollutants. Social and environmental stressors have also been shown to be associated with a stronger relationship between environmental pollutants and asthma development and symptoms.

In this study, Dr Lovinski-Desir from Columbia University Medical Center and her team aimed to determine if the relationship between ambient pollutants and urgent visits for asthma varied between New York City neighborhoods with high versus low asthma prevalence.

Related link:

https://www.nature.com/doifinder/10.1038/s41390-018-0189-3

As our environment becomes ever increasingly complex, understanding how sex differences impact disease risk and resilience will only become more critical. The 2019 Neuropsychopharmacology Reviews, "Sex Matters," edited by Dr. Tracy L. Bale, highlights the causal and mechanistic value in cases where significant sex differences are found, as well as when they're not; where sex differences may arise at one period of life and disappear in another. Additionally, this podcast, as well as the special issue, reinforces the message that males are not the control, and females are not more variable. The value is in appreciating the difference. Sex matters.

Special issue link: https://www.nature.com/npp/volumes/44/issues/1

In this episode, we meet Kristin Keunen from The University Medical Centre Utrecht. She and her team used postnatal neuroimaging to map early developmental trajectories of structural brain wiring in preterm and full-term neonates.

The study provides valuable insights into the early stages of structural connectome development.

Related article:

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41390-018-0138-1

Related article:

Genome sequencing identifies multiple deleterious variants in autism patients with more severe phenotypes

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41436-018-0380-2

With their delicate, trumpet shaped flowers that open to greet the rising sun, the morning glory has long been a horticultural favourite. Unfortunately, the quick growth and hardy nature of these plants has made them a noxious invasive weed in many parts of the world, with particularly damaging impacts on crop agriculture. Here, Dr Diego Alvarado Serrano, from the University of Michigan, discusses his recently published research on the genetic connectivity of the tall morning glory in the Eastern United States, which he and his collaborators hope will help to curtail the spread of both the plant itself and herbicide resistant genes.

Related article: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41437-018-0106-x

Southern right whales have had a rough few centuries, being brought to the brink of oblivion more than once by the whaling industry. Before that, climatic shifts likely played havoc with their coastal breeding grounds. What impact did these events have on their population genetics and connectivity? These are the questions being tackled by Dr Emma Carroll and Prof. Oscar Gaggiotti. Join them as they discuss their recent attempt to unravel the demographic history of this enigmatic migratory species.

(Dr Carroll is currently in the South Atlantic Ocean collecting more data on southern right whales; why not check out their field blog at whalednalab.auckland.ac.nz

Related article:

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41437-018-0077-y