The genomic landscape of speciation in hominins and other taxa

该项目将开发一个新的分析框架，以建立跨不同分类群的物种形成基因的详细基因组图谱，以确定观察到的物种形成是否仅仅是背景选择和人口统计学的结果，或者是否存在基因流动和DNA渗入的实际障碍。该模型将为物种形成的机制基础提供新的见解，特别是一组共同的基因或途径是否对物种形成过程至关重要。该框架将利用一系列动植物物种的大型基因组数据集来开发。将该模型应用于现代人类人口数据集将阐明来自丹尼索瓦人和尼安德特人的DNA渗入在塑造人类进化史中所起的作用，并可能为疾病的遗传基础提供新的见解。

This project will develop a new analytical framework to build detailed genomic maps of speciation genes across different taxa, to determine whether observed speciation is the result of background selection and demography alone, or whether there are actual barriers to gene flow and introgressed DNA. The model will provide novel insights into the mechanistic basis of speciation, specifically whether a common set of genes or pathways are central to the speciation process. The framework will be developed using the large genomic datasets available across a range of plant and animal species. Applying the model to a modern human population dataset will elucidate the role introgressed DNA from Denisovan and Neanderthals has played in shaping human evolutionary history and may provide novel insights into the genetic basis of disease.