Louis L'Hôte
louis-lhote.bsky.social
Louis L'Hôte
@louis-lhote.bsky.social
PhD candidate at University College of Dublin. aDNA, Ancient pathogens🦠, small Ruminants and virology
Reposted by Louis L'Hôte
Another #aDNA preprint! We recovered DNA from 7,000 year old (!) goat leather from Cueva de los Murciélagos - and see a genetic link with Bermeya goats today!

Credit to Francisco Martínez-Sevilla for seeing me on Youtube(?!) + reaching out to collaborate - there's still value in the internet.
Genetic analysis of 7,000 year old preserved goat leather from Cueva de los Murciélagos (Albuñol, Spain).
Advances in ancient DNA research have expanded the range of materials from which genetic information can be recovered, enabling the analysis of atypical materials. These often preserve both host and e...
www.biorxiv.org
December 3, 2025 at 7:42 AM
Reposted by Louis L'Hôte
After a four-year journey, my PhD work is out in @science.org
Endless gratitude to the amazing @felix-erc.bsky.social team, all coauthors and collaborators, and my loved ones. Without you all this couldn't be real! 💛🐱✨
@erc.europa.eu @nationalgeographic.bsky.social
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
The dispersal of domestic cats from North Africa to Europe around 2000 years ago
The domestic cat (Felis catus) descends from the African wildcat Felis lybica lybica. Its global distribution alongside humans testifies to its successful adaptation to anthropogenic environments. Unc...
www.science.org
November 28, 2025 at 2:27 PM
Reposted by Louis L'Hôte
Despite my insomnia, I'm very happy to share our preprint: a multi-disciplinary assessment of a sheep mass mortality event from ~18th century France. We report the first ancient sheeppox virus (think smallpox) and the Taenia hydatigena (nasty roundworm) genomes.
#aDNA
Evidence of sheeppox in 17th-19th century France: a multi-disciplinary investigation of a sheep mass mortality assemblage
Epizootic outbreaks posed major threats to food security, economic stability, and animal welfare in past communities. While these events and their impacts are well documented in historical records, ve...
www.biorxiv.org
November 26, 2025 at 6:33 AM