Sara Ord

On the ancestry and evolution of the extinct dire wolf

This study uses paleogenomes of dire wolves to resolve their evolutionary relationships and identify genes under diversifying selection.

Optimization of High Molecular Weight DNA Extractions from Dried, Museum-Grade Insects Enables Long-Read Sequencing, Phylogenetics, and Methylation Profiling

This paper develops a DNA extraction protocol for museum-grade insects, enabling long-read sequencing, phylogenetics, and methylation profiling from degraded samples.

Getting a head start: Craniofacial heterochrony in marsupials involves dynamic changes to molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying neural crest development

This study investigates the cellular and molecular mechanisms of craniofacial heterochrony in marsupials, revealing unique neural crest behaviors that enable accelerated development.

High-Yield Induced Ovulation in Adult Fat-Tailed Dunnarts by PMSG Treatment Combined with Estrus Synchronization

This study develops a protocol to induce high-yield ovulation in adult fat-tailed dunnarts using estrus synchronization and PMSG-hCG treatment, resulting in a high number of mature MII oocytes.

Generation and Assessment of High-Quality Fat-Tailed Dunnart Oocytes Following Superovulation in Prepubertal Animals

This study develops a hormonal regimen to induce ovulation and collect mature oocytes from prepubertal fat-tailed dunnarts, achieving high success rates in oocyte generation and embryo development.

Enrichment of spermatogonial stem cells and staging of the testis cycle in a dasyurid marsupial, the fat-tailed dunnart

This study enriches spermatogonial stem cells in fat-tailed dunnarts using fluorescent dye technology and defines the testis cycle in dasyurids for marsupial conservation research.

Marsupial limb patterning redefines the necessity of lateral plate mesoderm subdivision for limb formation

This study shows that marsupial limb development bypasses lateral plate mesoderm subdivision, challenging previous models of tetrapod limb formation.

Genetically engineered resistance to bufotoxin in marsupial ATP1A1

This study edits the ATP1A1 gene in marsupial cells to confer bufotoxin resistance, showing a >45-fold increase in resistance to bufalin.