Dr. Ruiting Lan's use of minimum-spanning trees has enabled detailed analysis of the diversity of Bordatella pertussis genotypes in Australia.
Tsunami Palaeomicrobiology
The devastating 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami (IOT) was a wake up call for Australia and other countries that coastal regions cannot escape this type of hazard. Tsunamis leave a geological record on the land they affect via the deposition of marine sediments and biological material (e.g. microbes). This deposition can be tracked in sediment cores allowing for the reconstruction of past tsunami events. This historical information in turn is crucial for predictive models of future
tsunami hazards.
The aim of this project is to identify DNA markers that are derived from microbial deposits and correlate this with other data from past tsunami events. Ultimately this will lead to a rapid, molecular fingerprinting of sediment cores to support current models of tsunami risk management. The work will be undertaken in close association with the Australian Tsunami Research Centre.
BABS personnel that are responsible for this project