February marks the launch of a crisp new look and improved navigation at the G3 website. Go check it out; we’re very proud of the design! We are also unveiling a new cover layout that allows the art submitted by our authors to shine. This month’s cover celebrates the first published genome assembly of the Canadian beaver. The study is by an all-Canadian team from The Centre for Applied Genomics at the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), The University of Toronto, The Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, The Royal Ontario Museum, and The Toronto Zoo — just in time for Canada’s 150th birthday!
The cover shows the “3 pence Beaver,” Canada’s first postage stamp. Issued in 1851, the stamp did not feature the Queen (customary at the time) but instead honored the beaver, an iconic national symbol and the first animal ever to appear on a stamp. This unusual choice was made in recognition of the beaver trade as the economic engine that drove colonial expansion, leading to the founding of Canada. It also depicts a beaver dam, symbolizing the young country building its new towns, cities, and communities. The stamp was designed by Sir Sandford Fleming, a proponent of the worldwide standard time zone, Canada’s foremost railway engineer of the 19th century, and a distinguished scientist. The photo used for this cover was suggested by the study authors, and provided at the courtesy of an avid collector of early Canadian postal history.
The project to sequence the Canadian beaver was conceived not only as an anniversary present for Canada, but as a test of a new method that could help diagnose genetic diseases. The goal was to assemble complex mammalian genomes directly from uncorrected and moderate-coverage long reads generated by single-molecule sequencing, an approach that could help to identify mutations in clinical samples that would otherwise escape detection. The achievement was extensively covered in the Canadian media (including the Globe and Mail and the CBC). You can read a great interview with study leaders Si Lok and Stephen Scherer here. You can also watch a video interview that includes footage of the beaver sequenced for the study, a 10-year-old resident of the Toronto Zoo named Ward. Happy birthday, Canada!
CITATION
De Novo Genome and Transcriptome Assembly of the Canadian Beaver (Castor canadensis)
Si Lok, Tara A. Paton, Zhuozhi Wang, Gaganjot Kaur, Susan Walker, Ryan K. C. Yuen, Wilson W. L. Sung, Joseph Whitney, Janet A. Buchanan, Brett Trost, Naina Singh, Beverly Apresto, Nan Chen, Matthew Coole, Travis J. Dawson, Karen Ho, Zhizhou Hu, Sanjeev Pullenayegum, Kozue Samler, Arun Shipstone, Fiona Tsoi, Ting Wang, Sergio L. Pereira, Pirooz Rostami, Carol Ann Ryan, Amy Hin Yan Tong, Karen Ng, Yogi Sundaravadanam, Jared T. Simpson, Burton K. Lim, Mark D. Engstrom, Christopher J. Dutton, Kevin C. R. Kerr, Maria Franke, William Rapley, Richard F. Wintle, and Stephen W. Scherer
G3: Genes|Genomes|Genetics February 2017 7:755-773; doi:10.1534/g3.116.038208
Cristy Gelling is a science writer, lapsed yeast geneticist, and former Communications Director at the GSA.
View all posts by Cristy Gelling »Read more in
-
Early Career Leadership Spotlight: Julio Molina Pineda
We’re taking time to get to know the members of the GSA’s Early Career Scientist Committees. Join us to learn more about our early career scientist advocates. Julio Molina Pineda Policy and Advocacy University of Arkansas Research Interest My research interests focus on using model organisms to genetically dissect complex traits related to human disease. My…
-
Early Career Leadership Spotlight: Peiwei Chen
We’re taking time to get to know the members of the GSA’s Early Career Scientist Committees. Join us to learn more about our early career scientist advocates. Peiwei Chen Accessibility Subcommittee California Institute of Technology Research Interest Far from a harmonious place, the genome is a battleground, where every bit of DNA fights for inheritance and…
-
#Dros23 GSA Poster Award winners
We are pleased to announce the GSA Poster Award winners from the 64th Annual Drosophila Research Conference! Undergraduate and graduate student members of the GSA were eligible for the awards, and a hard-working team of postdocs volunteered their time as judges. Congratulations to all! Undergraduate Students 1st Place: Sofia Karter Lopez, University of Toronto “Rab11 mediates E-cadherin recycling during…
-
Congratulations to the Fall 2022 DeLill Nasser Awardees!
GSA is pleased to announce the recipients of the DeLill Nasser Award for Professional Development in Genetics for Fall 2022! Given twice a year to graduate students and postdoctoral researchers, DeLill Nasser Awards support attendance at meetings and laboratory courses. The award is named in honor of DeLill Nasser, a long-time GSA supporter and National Science Foundation…
-
New editors join GENETICS, G3 editorial boards
Several new editors are joining the GSA Journals. We’re excited to welcome Ricardo Zayas to the GENETICS editorial board under the Molecular Genetics of Development section, and on the G3: Genes|Genomes|Genetics board, we welcome Polly Campbell, Kevin Vogel, Joe Parker, and Ricardo Mallarino. Ricardo Zayas Associate Editor Ricardo Zayas is a Professor of Biology at…
-
Worms and Flies Provide Key Clues to Medical Mystery
This article is part of a series of posts outlining the history and impact of research in experimental organisms. The series is developed in collaboration with the GSA Public Communications and Engagement Committee. By the time Bertrand Might was six months old, it was clear something was amiss. His muscles weren’t developing normally; he was…
-
Congratulations to the 2023 Early Career Leadership Program Cohort!
The Genetics Society of America (GSA) is excited to announce the latest cohort of student, postdoc, and early-career research leaders joining the Early Career Leadership Program. Participants receive training and mentoring while serving on committees charged with understanding the needs, interests, concerns, and challenges of early career scientist members of the GSA. As part of…
-
GSA LOCI: Local Outreach Community Initiatives @ GSA Conferences
Highlights: Local Outreach Community Initiatives (LOCI): The Genetics Society of America is committed to supporting the communities of the host cities of our conferences. This new year, we are excited to reconnect with our GSA community in meaningful ways within and beyond our existing programming. The GSA membership has created a caring and supportive environment…
-
New members of the GSA Board of Directors: 2023–2025
We are pleased to announce the election of five new leaders to the GSA Board of Directors: 2023 Vice President/2024 President Mariana Wolfner Distinguished Professor of Molecular Biology and Genetics and Stephen H. Weiss Presidential Fellow My research has focused on the genes and pathways that mediate sexual development and reproduction, primarily in Drosophila. From…
-
Lance David Miller: Lighting Your Own Fire by Finding the Right Resources
By Daniel J. Gironda In the Paths to Science Policy series, we talk to individuals who have a passion for science policy and are active in advocacy through their various roles and careers. The series aims to inform and guide early career scientists interested in science policy. This series is brought to you by the…
-
Graça Almeida-Porada: The Importance of Communication in a Technologically Advancing World
By Daniel J. Gironda In the Paths to Science Policy series, we talk to individuals who have a passion for science policy and are active in advocacy through their various roles and careers. The series aims to inform and guide early career scientists interested in science policy. This series is brought to you by the…