Tom Mathers
@tom-mathers.bsky.social
Evolutionary biologist. Genomics, aphids and gardening.
Senior Computer Biologist at Wellcome Sanger Institute.
Senior Computer Biologist at Wellcome Sanger Institute.
Second cut of the year for the rosemary hedge. The most fragrant job in the garden!
October 4, 2025 at 10:01 AM
Second cut of the year for the rosemary hedge. The most fragrant job in the garden!
😱 Simultaneously curating all 8 haplotypes of octaploid Carpinus betulus (European hornbeam).
One set of chromosomes down, many more to go...
@sangerinstitute.bsky.social Darwin Tree of Life.
One set of chromosomes down, many more to go...
@sangerinstitute.bsky.social Darwin Tree of Life.
July 1, 2025 at 7:52 PM
😱 Simultaneously curating all 8 haplotypes of octaploid Carpinus betulus (European hornbeam).
One set of chromosomes down, many more to go...
@sangerinstitute.bsky.social Darwin Tree of Life.
One set of chromosomes down, many more to go...
@sangerinstitute.bsky.social Darwin Tree of Life.
Helenium Moerheim Beauty doing well in the dry conditions.
June 28, 2025 at 7:06 AM
Helenium Moerheim Beauty doing well in the dry conditions.
First group three clematis flowers. Early this year due to the hot spring.
June 15, 2025 at 10:32 AM
First group three clematis flowers. Early this year due to the hot spring.
Shropshire lad, grown from a cutting.
June 7, 2025 at 6:12 PM
Shropshire lad, grown from a cutting.
Rosa Charles de Mills with Geum Totally Tangerine.
May 24, 2025 at 11:40 AM
Rosa Charles de Mills with Geum Totally Tangerine.
Bearded iris are enjoying the very dry spring. This one is Action Front.
May 18, 2025 at 8:50 AM
Bearded iris are enjoying the very dry spring. This one is Action Front.
We also find that MicroFinder can help improve previously curated bird genomes.
We re-curated 12 @sangerinstitute.bsky.social Darwin Tree of Life bird assemblies, improving the sequence content of microchromosomes.
We re-curated 12 @sangerinstitute.bsky.social Darwin Tree of Life bird assemblies, improving the sequence content of microchromosomes.
May 16, 2025 at 10:07 AM
We also find that MicroFinder can help improve previously curated bird genomes.
We re-curated 12 @sangerinstitute.bsky.social Darwin Tree of Life bird assemblies, improving the sequence content of microchromosomes.
We re-curated 12 @sangerinstitute.bsky.social Darwin Tree of Life bird assemblies, improving the sequence content of microchromosomes.
Normally, gene-rich microchromosome scaffolds are buried among unplaced repeat content at the end the Hi-C map.
MicroFinder can therefore dramatically speed up manual curation of bird genomes and reduce the chance of missing microchromosome content.
MicroFinder can therefore dramatically speed up manual curation of bird genomes and reduce the chance of missing microchromosome content.
May 16, 2025 at 10:07 AM
Normally, gene-rich microchromosome scaffolds are buried among unplaced repeat content at the end the Hi-C map.
MicroFinder can therefore dramatically speed up manual curation of bird genomes and reduce the chance of missing microchromosome content.
MicroFinder can therefore dramatically speed up manual curation of bird genomes and reduce the chance of missing microchromosome content.
The MicroFinder pipeline searches for micro chrom. genes in draft assemblies, moving putative micro chrom. scaffolds to the start of the assembly to aid manual curation.
May 16, 2025 at 10:07 AM
The MicroFinder pipeline searches for micro chrom. genes in draft assemblies, moving putative micro chrom. scaffolds to the start of the assembly to aid manual curation.
To address this problem, we gathered a panel of expert curated bird genomes and identified conserved microchromosome-associated genes.
May 16, 2025 at 10:07 AM
To address this problem, we gathered a panel of expert curated bird genomes and identified conserved microchromosome-associated genes.
Bird genomes contain macro- and microchromosomes.
Micro chroms have unusual genetic and epigenetic features and are often highly fragmented in draft assemblies.
This makes them extremely challenging to curate and many released chromosome-scale bird genomes do not resolve the known karyotype.
Micro chroms have unusual genetic and epigenetic features and are often highly fragmented in draft assemblies.
This makes them extremely challenging to curate and many released chromosome-scale bird genomes do not resolve the known karyotype.
May 16, 2025 at 10:07 AM
Bird genomes contain macro- and microchromosomes.
Micro chroms have unusual genetic and epigenetic features and are often highly fragmented in draft assemblies.
This makes them extremely challenging to curate and many released chromosome-scale bird genomes do not resolve the known karyotype.
Micro chroms have unusual genetic and epigenetic features and are often highly fragmented in draft assemblies.
This makes them extremely challenging to curate and many released chromosome-scale bird genomes do not resolve the known karyotype.
Struggling to find the tiny microchromosomes in draft bird genome assemblies?
Our new #preprint introducing MicroFinder can help: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
🧵 below
(1/n)
@sangerinstitute.bsky.social
Our new #preprint introducing MicroFinder can help: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
🧵 below
(1/n)
@sangerinstitute.bsky.social
May 16, 2025 at 10:07 AM
Struggling to find the tiny microchromosomes in draft bird genome assemblies?
Our new #preprint introducing MicroFinder can help: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
🧵 below
(1/n)
@sangerinstitute.bsky.social
Our new #preprint introducing MicroFinder can help: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
🧵 below
(1/n)
@sangerinstitute.bsky.social
April 9, 2025 at 11:42 AM
Really enjoyed the first day of #EESWildModel @events.embl.org. Diverse range of talks on cool new model systems.
April 9, 2025 at 7:08 AM
Really enjoyed the first day of #EESWildModel @events.embl.org. Diverse range of talks on cool new model systems.
Christmas gardening.
Pizza oven was singeing the hedge so built a surround from bricks reclaimed from what used to be our kitchen wall.
Laid dry for now but will rebuild with mortar in the spring.
Moved the path and created a new bed.
Pizza oven was singeing the hedge so built a surround from bricks reclaimed from what used to be our kitchen wall.
Laid dry for now but will rebuild with mortar in the spring.
Moved the path and created a new bed.
December 29, 2024 at 1:42 PM
Christmas gardening.
Pizza oven was singeing the hedge so built a surround from bricks reclaimed from what used to be our kitchen wall.
Laid dry for now but will rebuild with mortar in the spring.
Moved the path and created a new bed.
Pizza oven was singeing the hedge so built a surround from bricks reclaimed from what used to be our kitchen wall.
Laid dry for now but will rebuild with mortar in the spring.
Moved the path and created a new bed.
Lepidoptera W chromosome fun...
December 4, 2024 at 4:26 PM
Lepidoptera W chromosome fun...