The first paper of my PhD is out! We show that reproductive ageing across the whole lifespan of female hihi can be predicted by their telomere length at 21 days old! 🐣 @HemmingsNicola1 @P_Brekke @MirreSimons @hihinews

2yr postdoc position available here in beautiful Tāmaki Makaurau- Auckland. Imputation strategies for low coverage sequencing from wild populations. Working with our fab team and Audald LLoret-Villas. Closing date 15-Jan-24. More info here:

We hope that these methods can be used to fill the knowledge gap on the invisible fraction in bird population studies - unsampled individuals that die before hatching!

We give advice on sampling unhatched eggs from wild birds populations: from collection, storage and dissection to cell isolation, DNA extraction and microsatellite analysis

https://t.co/rzXrtWXFKy Out now! Our guide on the genetic sampling of embryonic DNA from unhatched birds eggs, from field to sequencing! with @HemmingsNicola1 @P_Brekke @ASanture and Selina Patel

How are we doing? Another year of dedicated effort from passionate #hihi conservationists across northern Aotearoa New Zealand and beyond! Please enjoy our colourful and informative annual report here: https://t.co/LYe5y78Igd @ZSLScience @docgovtnz @CEAndrews @MhairiMcCready

Fully funded #PhD position in my group on butterfly scale development. Come and join our interdisciplinary team @EEB_Sheffield @MCB_Sheffield @DRN_Sheffield @ScienceShef !

Coming soon to a journal near you! @HemmingsNicola1 @P_Brekke @ASanture

Using a case study, we demonstrate that it is possible to get enough DNA for a range of applications and that it is possible to do parentage analysis and sexing of these previously overlooked individuals using microsatellite sequencing.

We start with guidance on collecting and storing unhatched eggs in the field. Then we move onto dissecting the eggs and using microscopy to identify embryo mortality before collecting cell samples!

Check out our new guide on how to identify and get DNA from failed early embryos - step by step from field to sequencing! We hope this is useful for those that study captive or wild birds, from reproductive failure to selection, conservation and beyond!

But this doesn't impact lifetime fitness! Possibly because females with shorter early-life telomeres have higher reproductive output before they start ageing. So, early-life telomeres may predict lifelong strategy in reproduction!

@HemmingsNicola1 @P_Brekke @MirreSimons @hihinews Interestingly, we didn't find a relationship between early-life telomere length and lifespan. But females who start life with shorter telomeres show faster and significant ageing in multiple reproductive traits: clutch size and hatching success.

Really enjoyed presenting at the @ScienceShef poster showcase yesterday representing @EEB_Sheffield 🐣 it’s great to hear about all of the research across the whole faculty and meet new people!

In their most recent study, Duntsch et al. investigate individual and temporal variation in #inbreeding and report #genome-wide and region-specific inbreeding depression signals for a species of #conservation concern, the #Aotearoa New Zealand #hihi -> https://t.co/drJKM48c07

Paid internship available for a @sheffielduni final year undergrad or PGT student to join our group to study bird egg traits this Spring/early Summer: https://t.co/Fs3UyRTi37 @ScienceShef @EEB_Sheffield

Delighted to share our new paper! We present the most comprehensive systematic review of #HatchingFailure to date, and address the implications for conservation. #TeamEgg @London_NERC_DTP @ZSLScience @UGI_at_UCL @EEB_Sheffield @BallouxFrancois @HemmingsNicola1 @P_Brekke 1/10

What a wonderful feeling 🥰 thank you @HemmingsNicola1 and @P_Brekke, you have been incredible supervisors!

Incredibly excited to have been awarded an #ERCStG by @ERC_Research for my project #EVOGOODGENES!! We will be exploring the genomics and evolution of honest signals in #stalkeyedflies. Get in touch for details about the project and opportunities to join the lab! @EEB_Sheffield