The paper examines how heat and sex affect brain growth in dragon embryos, finding that genetic sex has a greater impact on brain size than temperature.

bioRxiv · Oct 30, 2026 · PreprintNeuroscience

Optimising neural contrast and minimising tissue shrinkage in dragon lizard brains: buffered Lugol's iodine versus phosphotungstic acid for contrast-enhanced μCT

Fernando Navea, J. Roy Black, Sarah L. Whiteley, Duminda S. B. Dissanayake, Caroline C. Kerr, Shaun Patrick Collin, Jenna Margaret Crowe-Riddell

This study compares buffered Lugol's iodine and phosphotungstic acid for contrast-enhanced μCT of dragon lizard brains, finding buffered Lugol's iodine provides better contrast and less tissue shrinkage.

bioRxiv · Oct 20, 2026 · PreprintNeuroscience

DNA methylation regulates a key sex differentiation gene in Pogona vitticeps, a dragon lizard with sex reversal

Benjamin J. Hanrahan, Susan Wagner, Nicholas C. Lister, Sarah L. Whiteley, Lei Xiong, Arthur Georges, Paul D. Waters

The paper investigates DNA methylation's role in sex differentiation in Pogona vitticeps, finding that Amh gene expression is regulated by methylation in both genetic and temperature-induced females.

bioRxiv · Jun 19, 2026 · PreprintGenomics

Co-Circulation of Multiple Kolmiovirus Lineages Through Vertebrate Evolution

Lauren Lim, Kate Van Brussel, Julien Mélade, Miriam Boucher, Benjamin B. Parrott, Sarah L. Whiteley, Ethan Mandojana, Thomas R. Rainwater, James T Anderson, Karrie A. Rose, Edward Charles Holmes

This paper identifies novel kolmioviruses in vertebrates, showing multiple lineages co-circulated through vertebrate evolution, with HDV-HBV association emerging recently.

bioRxiv · Jun 16, 2026 · PreprintMicrobiology

A telomere to telomere phased genome assembly and annotation for the Australian central bearded dragon Pogona vitticeps

Hardip R. Patel, Kirat Alreja, Andre L. M. Reis, Jong-How Chang, Zahra A. Chew, Hyungtaek Jung, J. W. Hammond, Ira W. Deveson, Aurora Ruiz‐Herrera, Laia Marín-Gual, Clare E. Holleley, Xiuwen Zhang, Nicholas C. Lister, Sarah L. Whiteley, Lei Xiong, , Arthur Georges

The paper presents a high-quality, telomere-to-telomere genome assembly and annotation for the central bearded dragon, providing insights into its sex determination mechanisms.

GigaScience · Jan 1, 2025Peer-reviewedGenomics

Developmental dynamics of sex reprogramming by high incubation temperatures in a dragon lizard

Sarah L. Whiteley, Clare E. Holleley, Arthur Georges

The paper investigates how high incubation temperatures reprogram sex in dragon lizards, finding that genetic factors outweigh temperature effects in determining gonadal development.

BMC Genomics · Apr 22, 2022Peer-reviewedDevelopmental Biology

Draft genomes of a male and female Australian jacky dragon (Amphibolurus muricatus)

Ran Tian, Hao Dong, Fan Zhang, Hao Yu, Enqing Pei, Chengcheng Shi, Guangyi Fan, Sarah L. Whiteley, Clare E. Holleley, Inge Seim, Arthur Georges

The paper presents draft genomes of male and female Australian jacky dragons, providing insights into lizard evolution and sex determination.

bioRxiv · Oct 11, 2021 · PreprintGenomics

Two transcriptionally distinct pathways drive female development in a reptile with both genetic and temperature dependent sex determination

Sarah L. Whiteley, Clare E. Holleley, Susan Wagner, James Blackburn, Ira W. Deveson, Jennifer A. Marshall Graves, Arthur Georges

The paper compares gene expression in genetically and temperature-induced female development in bearded dragons to identify distinct transcriptional pathways involved in sex determination.

PLoS Genetics · Apr 15, 2021Peer-reviewedGenetics