Isaac Jones
Intern
Since joining the zoo this past year I have primarily been sequencing
mitochondrial DNA from a variety of bird species for both phylogenetic analysis
as well as future conservation related applications. I am fascinated by genome
evolution, in particularly, how certain changes within a tiny fraction of the
genome can help facilitate speciation. For my Masters thesis I compared sequences
of a species-specific glycoprotein found on the surface of mammalian eggs implicated
in sperm binding. In the near future I hope to go back to graduate school to
continue exploring our world at the level of G, C, A, and T.
Special thanks to Matthew Hamilton for taking the risk, and teaching
me the ups, downs, ins and outs of the laboratory.
