Genome of threatened northern spotted owl assembled

Genome completion will help researchers better measure interbreeding among hybrid owls and guide conservation priorities in the West

Date:  September 5, 2017

Source:  California Academy of Sciences

Summary:

A charismatic owl iconic to Pacific Coast forests is no longer ruling the roost, and scientists now have another tool for understanding its decline. Researchers have assembled the California Academy of Sciences' first-ever animal genome after sequencing the DNA of the northern spotted owl (Strix occidentalis caurina). Academy scientists and collaborators extensively mapped the bird's genetic material to better understand how this threatened forest dweller is interacting with non-native owls invading its habitat.

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Die-offs of band-tailed pigeons connected to newly discovered parasite

Date:

July 2, 2014

Source:

University of California - Davis

Summary:

A new parasite, along with one possibly found in T-Rex, has been implicated in the recent deaths of thousands of Pacific Coast band-tailed pigeons. Avian trichomonosis is an emerging and potentially fatal disease that creates severe lesions that can block the esophagus, ultimately preventing the bird from eating or drinking, or the trachea, leading to suffocation. The disease may date back to when dinosaurs roamed the earth, as lesions indicative of trichomonosis were found recently in T-Rex skeletons.

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