Małgorzata Anna Gazda

• Doctor of Philosophy
• Assistant Professor at Université de Montréal

Scientists are investigating how and why birds have developed such colorful feathers, often adorned with extravagant ornaments.

Naukowcy cały czas szukają odpowiedzi na pytanie, w jaki sposób i dlaczego u ptaków pojawiły się kolorowe pióra często zdobione ornamentami.

Reproducibility is a significant concern in scientific research and complex methods like quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) demand stringent reporting standards to ensure that the methods are reproducible, data are sound, and conclusions are trustworthy. Although the MIQE (Minimum Information for Publication of Quantitative Real-Time PCR...

The scholarly publishing system is adapting to many changes including open access and open data mandates, and new technologies, including artificial intelligence. Members of the research and publishing communities are working to establish a more equitable, fair, and rigorous system that serves researchers’ evolving needs. Early career researchers (...

Data availability and reusability are critical to open research. The FAIR principles provide a minimal set of guiding principles for making data findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable1. Open data are not necessarily FAIR, and FAIR data are not necessarily open. Since their publication in 20161, the FAIR principles have accelerated the ope...

The independent evolution of convergent embryo implantation mechanisms in humans and mice, differing from the ancestral mammalian phenotype, is poorly understood. Endometrial epithelial cells are the first maternal interface encountered by the embryo. We combined organoid models and single-cell transcriptomics to investigate how gene expression has...

The contribution of school curricula to public understanding and acceptance of evolution is still mostly unknown, due to the scarcity of studies that compare the learning goals present in different curricula. To overcome this lack of data we analysed 19 school curricula (18 European and one from Israel) to study the differences regarding the inclus...

Red coloration is a salient feature of the natural world. Many vertebrates produce red color by converting dietary yellow carotenoids into red ketocarotenoids via an unknown mechanism. Here, we show that two enzymes, cytochrome P450 2J19 (CYP2J19) and 3-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase 1-like (BDH1L), are sufficient to catalyze this conversion. In bir...

Early career researchers (ECRs) are important stakeholders leading efforts to catalyze systemic change in research culture and practice. Here, we summarize the outputs from a virtual unconventional conference (unconference), which brought together 54 invited experts from 20 countries with extensive experience in ECR initiatives designed to improve...

The rising rate of preprints and publications, combined with persistent inadequate reporting practices and problems with study design and execution, have strained the traditional peer review system. Automated screening tools could potentially enhance peer review by helping authors, journal editors, and reviewers to identify beneficial practices and...

Grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) diversity richness results from a complex domestication history over multiple historical periods. Here, we used whole-genome resequencing to elucidate different aspects of its recent evolutionary history. Our results support a model in which a central domestication event in grapevine was followed by postdomestication h...

Open and reproducible research practices increase the reusability and impact of scientific research. The reproducibility of research results is influenced by many factors, most of which can be addressed by improved education and training. Here we describe how workshops developed by the Reproducibility for Everyone (R4E) initiative can be customized...

Early career researchers (ECRs) are important stakeholders leading efforts to catalyze systemic change in the conduct and communication of science. Here, we summarize the outputs from a virtual unconventional conference (unconference), which brought together 54 invited experts from 20 countries with extensive experience in ECR initiatives designed...

Scientists routinely use images to display data. Readers often examine figures first; therefore, it is important that figures are accessible to a broad audience. Many resources discuss fraudulent image manipulation and technical specifications for image acquisition; however, data on the legibility and interpretability of images are scarce. We syste...

Grapevine ( Vitis vinifera L.) is one of the most significant crops in the world. Today’s richness in grapevine diversity results from a complex domestication history over multiple historical periods. Here, we employed whole genome resequencing to elucidate different aspects of the recent evolutionary history of this crop. Our results support a mod...

Birds exhibit striking variation in eye color that arises from interactions between specialized pigment cells named chromatophores. The types of chromatophores present in the avian iris are lacking from the integument of birds or mammals, but are remarkably similar to those found in the skin of ectothermic vertebrates. To investigate molecular mech...

Reproducibility is a cornerstone of the scientific method and sets apart science from pseudoscience. Unfortunately, a majority of scientists have experienced difficulties in reproducing their own or someone else’s results. This inability to confirm scientific findings negatively impacts individual scientists, funding bodies, academic journals, phar...

Scientists routinely use images to display data. Readers often examine figures first; therefore, it is important that figures are accessible to a broad audience. Many resources discuss fraudulent image manipulation and technical specifications for image acquisition; however, data on the legibility and interpretability of images are scarce. We syste...

available: https://www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/reducing-plastic-waste-in-the-lab/4011550.article

Canaries changing colors Many animals are sexually dimorphic, with different phenotypes in males and females. To identify the genetic basis of sexual differences in bird coloration, Gazda et al. investigated red coloration in mosaic canaries and related species (see the Perspective by Chen). Using a combination of genetic crosses, genomic mapping,...

Unlike wild and domestic canaries (Serinus canaria), or any of the three dozen species of finches in genus Serinus, the domestic urucum breed of canaries exhibits bright red bills and legs. This novel trait offers a unique opportunity to understand the mechanisms of bare-part coloration in birds. To identify the mutation producing the colorful phen...

Abstract I reviewed a book Population Genomics that fills in the noticeable lack of a general introductory textbook to population genomics, one of the most exciting and rapidly developing branches of life sciences nowadays. Highly recommended to everybody willing to broaden knowledge about basics of genomics and get recent exciting insights into ma...

A BSTRACT Unlike wild and domestic canaries ( Serinus canaria ), or any of the three dozen species of finches in genus Serinus , the domestic urucum breed of canaries exhibits bright red bills and legs. This novel bare-part coloration offers a unique opportunity to understand how leg and bill coloration evolve in birds. To identify the causative lo...

Discrete colour morphs coexisting within a single population are common in nature. In a broad range of organisms, sympatric colour morphs often display major differences in other traits, including morphology, physiology or behaviour. Despite the repeated occurrence of this phenomenon, our understanding of the genetics that underlie multi-trait diff...

Racing pigeons have been selectively bred to find their way home quickly over what are often extremely long distances. This breed is of substantial commercial value and is also an excellent avian model to gain empirical insights into the evolution of traits associated with flying performance and spatial orientation. Here, we investigate the molecul...

Extra-pair copulation can increase genetic diversity and offspring fitness. However, it may also increase intra-nest variability in avian hosts of brood parasites, which can decrease the discrimination ability of host parents towards the parasite. In New Caledonia, the Fan-tailed Gerygone (Gerygone flavolateralis), which is parasitized by the Shini...

Information on 141 samples of 127 Fan-tailed Gerygones (29 breeding pairs and their 69 offspring, 36 breeding attempts) in New Caledonia. ID: ID of individual, nest: nest number, breeding attempt: number of breeding attempt, status: parent or nestling, sex: F = female, M = male, habitat: type of habitat surrounding the nest, brood polymorphism: 0 =...

Significance The yellow, orange, and red colors of birds are produced through the deposition of carotenoid pigments into feathers and skin, and often function as signals in aggressive interactions and mate choice. These colors are hypothesized to communicate information about individual quality because their expression is linked to vital cellular p...

We developed a set of microsatellite markers for the fan-tailed gerygone (Gerygone flavolateralis), host of a brood parasite, the shining bronze-cuckoo (Chalcites lucidus). We used 454 pyro-sequencing to establish 17 polymorphic microsatellite markers. The number of alleles per locus ranged from 6 to 18, the expected heterozygosity from 0.328 to 0....

Though heterozygosity-fitness correlations have been studied since more than three decades they are still a subject of discussions. Two assumptions for testing heterozygosity-fitness correlations are crucial: firstly, the heterozygosity cross genome can be used as a measure of inbreeding; secondly, individual heterozygosity is correlated with fitne...

This paper reports results from study conducted in 2006 in “Las Krzyszkowicki” (50°0´3.14˝N; 20°0´41.25˝E). During the growing season there were measured 60 stems and 973 leaves of Turk’s-cap lily from two plots. Plant height, leaf length and width, the number of leaves, flowers and fruits were recorded for each individual. Density of lily shoots...