A new study by researchers at Penn State and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), has identified 10 regions in the Marek's disease virus’s genome that likely played a role in increases its virulence, results could inform the development of next-generation vaccines that are more effective at preventing future breakthroughs.

The initial sequencing and assembly of the medaka genome excluded the assembly of approximately 1,000 regions with repetitive sequences and elements that were too complex for traditional DNA sequencing and assembly techniques. A team of researchers recently used HiFi and ultra-long sequencing technologies to generate reads capable of spanning these repetitive regions, completing one and nearly completing two other medaka strain genomes. The completed genome sequences provide potential roles for variation in genome structure in the phenotype, or observable characteristics, of organisms.

Many threatened or understudied oak tree species are at risk of extinction in Southeast and East Asia, where more than half of their native range is subject to sharply increasing human pressure. Should these species of oak disappear from the wild, most of them do not have a single backup in a managed botanical collection anywhere in the world.

Those are among the findings in the first comprehensive Conservation Gap Analysis of Select Native Asian Oaks, conducted by scientists at The Morton Arboretum alongside collaborators in the region. Oaks are a crucial species that anchor entire ecosystems—supplying food and shelter for humans and wildlife alike—and by addressing vast disparities in data about these at-risk trees, this report informs the most practical next steps for conserving them.