Alexander Salis

Ancient DNA and dating evidence for the dispersal of hippos into central Europe during the last glacial Arnold et al. present evidence that Late Pleistocene hippos from the Upper Rhine Graben show close genetic ties to modern African hippos. Although hippos have been thought to have gone extinct around ...

Turns out #hippos 🦛 lived in Europe much more recently than we thought!
Fossil & genetic evidence from Germany shows they roamed 50,000–31,000 years ago, right in the middle of the last #iceage 🥶🌨️
Same species as today’s African hippos, thriving during warmer periods.
🦣🧪🧬

☠️🧬 2-yr Postdoc in in Genomic Simulations and Extinction Risk Modelling!
Let's figure out the Genomic signs of Extinction @DTU in Denmark.

Start: Feb 2026 (flexible)
Application deadline: 24 Oct 2025

For details click here: tinyurl.com/BioExtPD

Reposts appreciated 😁

Unrecognised DNA Degradation in Flash‐Frozen Genetic Samples in Natural History Collections Optimal preservation of tissues from the field to long-term cryo-storage is paramount to securing genetic resources for research needs. DNA preservation techniques vary, with flash freezing currently...

Flash-frozen tissues are considered the gold standard for DNA—but our analysis of field-collected samples found surprising degradation.
Preserving in buffer before freezing may be more robust in real-world conditions.
👉 doi.org/10.1111/1755...
#Museomics #Genomics #Fieldwork #DNApreservation

We believe this may be the result of successive freeze-thaw cycles degrading the DNA, where fixing in a buffer protects the DNA from degradation.

Flash-freezing tissues is often regarded superior to other methods of cryogenically preserving tissues. We find that in archival settings, these tissues often show accelerated DNA degradation to tissues first fixed in a buffer such as ethanol before cryopreservation.

This research was really fun to work on and glad it's finally out there. Thanks to all coauthors whose effort made this work possible! @sabercatwoman.bsky.social @drsarahbray.bsky.social @zoojlinnsoc.bsky.social

Genetic diversity, phylogeography, and sexual dimorphism in the extinct giant short-faced bear (Arctodus simus) Abstract. Giant short-faced bears (Arctodus simus) were the largest carnivoran of Pleistocene North America and are one of the most extensively studied ext

A bit late on this, but the latest research from my PhD on the genetic diversity, phylogeography, and sexual dimorphism of North American giant short-faced bears was just published in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society this month. academic.oup.com/zoolinnean/a...

Giant short-faced bears were the largest carnivores of the Pleistocene in North America and are subsequently well known in science. Highly studied, small & large forms have been recognised as subspecies, but some researchers have suggested this may be sexual dimorphism! A 🧵(1/3) 🌍🧪🐻