Last week I performed the first DNA extraction in Te Papa’s brand new genetics laboratory. Our lab is the first genetics lab in a New Zealand museum and will allow Te Papa scientists to analyse the DNA of our unique plants and animals. Genetic information is increasingly being used to examine the relationships between species and help us discover new species, such as these recently described hagfish. We can also use DNA to learn more about individual specimens in Te Papa’s collections, such as these kiwi skins whose identification was uncertain.
The first experiment I’ve done in the new lab is to isolate DNA from a few extra clubmoss samples to bump up sample numbers for a publication. This builds on the work done by Delaney Burnard for her MSc at Victoria University. Delaney finished her thesis earlier this year and recently started a PhD at the University of the Sunshine Coast.
Most of these extra clubmoss samples are from New Zealand but I also included a few samples from Fiji and New Caledonia collected by Botany curator Leon Perrie, such as Lycopodium clavatum pictured below.
I look forward to sharing some of the results from this research, and other work we are doing in the new DNA lab, in future blogs.
So now it is possible to analyse repatriated moko heads and trace it back to the tribe/family were it came from? Or is that too complicated?
Yours,
Harm.
Hi Harm,
Working with human remains, especially very old remains, is very tricky because they don’t contain much DNA so it is very easy to contaminate them with other modern human DNA. So to work on mokomokai requires a special DNA lab with a lot of strict controls to prevent contamination. The University of Otago (Lisa Matisoo-Smith) has such a lab and they have been able to get genuine DNA from very old Maori remains from Wairau Bar. I’m not sure if they are working with mokomokai or not.
That is very exciting news Lara.
So much to do; I wonder if we will ever see you again!!!
Yes, it is very exciting! I’m sure I’ll be let out of the lab every now and again. You missed a great Wellington Botanical Society trip to Stokes Valley the weekend before last. Cheers,
Lara