AncestryDNA for our Flora and Fauna with the SIMS of Fish

Genes, DNA... These days, it seems everyone is sequencing themselves with vouchers their family got them from AncestryDNA for Christmas. But what about plants and animals? How much do we know about their DNA and family trees, and where do you even begin to find out about their heritage? ARGA is creating a new resource to help scientists (& everyone) do just that.

Kathryn Hall trained as an invertebrate animal taxonomist at The University of Queensland and then worked in museums for about 15 years. Now Kathryn is managing the ARGA project, with the Atlas of Living Australia (CSIRO).

While genomic tools have been applied to agricultural species like cattle, chickens, and wheat, very few people have applied these tools to fish. Come along and watch as our speaker attempts to build a simulation of a fish farm that houses an iconic, and biologically hilarious, Australian species: the Barramundi.

Jess Hintzsche completed her marine biology degree at Hawai'i Pacific University then moved to Australia to complete her Masters. She is now doing a PhD in quantitative genomics, looking to use AI tools to facilitate genomic improvement in Australian aquaculture species.