In the Media: First Dog on the Moon Draws Our Dingo Paper for The Guardian
Our recent Conservation Letters paper on dingo ancestry across Australia has been picked up by First Dog on the Moon in a new cartoon for The Guardian, arguing — with the usual deadpan conviction — that Australia’s national animal really ought to be the dingo. Being lampooned by First Dog is something of a rite of passage for Australian science, and seeing the 88.3%-dingo headline turned into a cartoon panel is by some distance the most satisfying form of impact metric I have encountered this year.
May 27, 2026
New Publication: Paleogenomics-Informed Inferences of European Dog Admixture Enables Scalable Dingo Conservation
Across much of rural Australia, any free-roaming canine that troubles a flock tends to be filed under a single label: wild dog. The label is administratively tidy, but it hides a question that has divided ecologists, geneticists and managers for decades — how much of the animal in front of you is dingo, and how much is descended from European dogs brought ashore after 1788? Today, in Conservation Letters, we publish a study that finally lets that question be answered cheaply, consistently, and at scale. Our headline result: averaged across more than 300 free-roaming canines sampled around the continent, just 11.7% of the genome comes from domestic dogs. The rest is dingo.
May 14, 2026
New Publication: Diploid Dual Assemblies Reveal the Telocentric Structure and Allelic Heterogeneity of Canine Genomes
We’re delighted to share our latest publication in NAR Genomics and Bioinformatics, led by Jeffrey M. Kidd. This study presents phase-resolved diploid dual assemblies from five canines, delivering an unprecedented view of canine genome architecture, centromere organisation, and the staggering allelic heterogeneity that shapes dog genomes.
April 23, 2026
In the Media: Nine Newspapers on Gene-Edited 'Super-Quolls' and De-Extinction
I was quoted across Nine Newspapers — The Age, Sydney Morning Herald, Brisbane Times, and WA Today — in coverage of the controversial idea of gene-editing native predators to resist cane-toad toxin, and the broader question of whether reviving or re-engineering animal species is a sound conservation strategy. The article, “Could gene-edited ‘super-quolls’ fight back against cane toads?”, examines proposals to engineer northern quolls with toxin resistance, alongside wider de-extinction debates. I commented on the trade-offs of intervening in evolutionary trajectories and on what genomic tools can and cannot deliver for conservation outcomes.
April 21, 2026
In the Media: New Scientist on Convergent Human Evolution After Farming
I’m grateful to be featured in New Scientist in coverage of recent work on human evolution after the adoption of farming. The article, “Human populations evolved in similar ways after we began farming,” reports evidence from more than 7,000 ancient and modern genomes and highlights how selection appears to have acted in parallel across different populations worldwide. In the piece, I commented on the analytical framework developed by Laura Colbran and colleagues, noting that the method identifies both established and previously unknown genomic regions under selection and takes full advantage of the rapidly growing ancient DNA record.
March 10, 2026
Adelaide Open Food Map – Interactive, Data-Driven Restaurant Maps
I’m excited to release a new way to discover and find new restaurants in Adelaide. We are so lucky here to have so many greate foody spots. However, that makes choosing one difficult sometimes.
January 10, 2026
New Publication: Lessons Learned - Recommendations for Reproducible Paleogenomic Data Analyses
Our perspective piece “Lessons learned: Recommendations for reproducible paleogenomic data analyses” has been published in The American Journal of Human Genetics (2025). The article offers practical recommendations for reproducible paleogenomics research, drawing on the extensive and diverse experience at the Australian Centre for Ancient DNA. × Read the paper · The American Journal of Human Genetics (2025) · DOI: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2025.10.011
December 5, 2025
Speaking at Precision Public Health Transdisciplinary Conference 2025
On November 19th, 2025, I’ll be co-presenting an invited talk at the Precision Public Health Transdisciplinary Conference 2025 (PPHTC2025), hosted by the Human Genetics Society of Australasia. This conference brings together researchers, clinicians, and public health professionals to explore cutting-edge advances in precision public health. The conference will focus on transdisciplinary approaches to precision public health, including genomics, data science, and population health strategies. It’s an excellent opportunity to share insights and collaborate with experts across multiple disciplines working to improve public health outcomes through precision medicine. ×
November 13, 2025
New Publication: Conserved Facultative Heterochromatin Identifies Disease Regulatory Sequences
We’re excited to share our latest research published in Nucleic Acids Research, led by Enakshi Sinniah from the Palpant Lab at the University of Queensland’s Institute for Molecular Bioscience. This work introduces a novel approach to identifying regulatory sequences critical for cell identity and disease by analysing conserved patterns of facultative heterochromatin across diverse cell types. ×
November 12, 2025
New Publication: Genetic Transitions in the Neolithic and Bronze Age at Mas d'en Boixos (Catalonia, Spain)
We’re pleased to share new research published in iScience, led by Xavier Roca-Rada in collaboration with Daniel R. Cuesta-Aguirre, Diana C. Vinueza-Espinosa, Roberta Davidson, Shyamsundar Ravishankar, and others. This study reveals fascinating insights into genetic transitions across prehistoric Iberia through ancient DNA analysis from the Mas d’en Boixos archaeological site in Northeastern Spain. The research demonstrates remarkable genetic continuity and change spanning from the Middle Neolithic to the Early Bronze Age, uncovering evidence of family relationships, ancestral origins, and social structures of these ancient populations. ×
July 18, 2025