Zoology Collections Manager Dr. Jackson Roberts recently published with colleagues from the Field Museum, the Iridian Genome Project, the Louisiana State University Museum of Natural Sciences, and the University of Texas - Arlington a paper depositing 18 new whole snake genomes representing 18 snake families.

The paper focuses on the wide application of snake genomes, from evolutionary comparisons to snake systematics and taxonomy. The new genomes also add immense value to the genomic resources available for snakes because all 18 genomes were sequenced from vouchered museum specimens in the Field Museum and LSU Museum of Natural Sciences.

Museum voucher specimens are critical for maintaining repeatability and transparency in science, two mandatory requirements. 

Congratulations to Dr. Roberts and the team for publishing their collections-based research.

The article can be found here: https://academic.oup.com/jhered/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/jhered/esae026/7667659?redirectedFrom=fulltext.

Please reach out to Dr. Roberts directly if you would like a PDF – jrroberts6@fhsu.edu