Sophie Lund Rasmussen

University of Oxford | OX · Department of Biology

The recent development of techniques to sequence ancient DNA has provided valuable insights into the civilisations that came before us. However, the full potential of these methods has yet to be realised. We extracted ancient DNA from a recently exposed fracture surface of a clay brick deriving from the palace of king Ashurnasirpal II (883–859 BCE)...

Sources from Mesopotamia contextualize the emergence of kissing and its role in disease transmission. Read it here (open access): https://www.science.org/stoken/author-tokens/ST-1229/full

Simple Summary As populations of European hedgehogs are declining, it is vital that we monitor and understand the population dynamics of this species to optimise conservation initiatives to protect the hedgehogs in the wild. We determined the age of 388 dead European hedgehogs, collected by volunteers from all over Denmark, by counting periosteal g...

Previous research from several European countries has indicated that the European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus) is in decline. Wildlife rehabilitation centres contribute toward the protection of debilitated hedgehogs, including the young. Based on data from 27 wildlife rehabilitation centres, the mortality rate and the release rate of juvenile hed...

This is a popular scientific article in Danish communicating my research on The Danish Hedgehog Project. Read it here: https://videnskab.dk/forskerzonen/naturvidenskab/hvad-bruger-man-egentlig-697-doede-pindsvin-til

The discovery of antibiotics more than 80 years ago has led to considerable improvements in human and animal health. Although antibiotic resistance in environmental bacteria is ancient, resistance in human pathogens is thought to be a modern phenomenon that is driven by the clinical use of antibiotics1. Here we show that particular lineages of meth...

Background The European population of hedgehogs ( Erinaceus europaeus ) is declining. It is therefore essential to optimise conservation initiatives such as the rehabilitation of sick, injured and orphaned hedgehogs. Wild animals placed in captivity may be prone to chronic stress, potentially causing negative health effects. Therefore, the effects...

The European hedgehog population is declining in Europe. It is therefore important to investigate the causes for the decline and monitor the general health of the species. We investigated the endoparasite occurrence in 299 dead European hedgehogs. Of these, endoparasites were detected in 69% of the individuals tested. We identified Crenosoma striat...

Popular scientific communication article about our research on the effects of robotic lawn mowers on hedgehogs. You can read the article here: https://sciencenordic.com/animals-denmark/do-robotic-lawn-mowers-hurt-hedgehogs-dr-hedgehog-has-the-answer/1856882

A popular scientific communication article in Danish about our research on the effects of robotic lawn mowers on hedgehogs. The article can be found here: https://videnskab.dk/forskerzonen/teknologi-innovation/kan-robotplaeneklippere-draebe-pindsvin-doktor-pindsvin-har-svaret

We tested the effects of 18 models of robotic lawn mowers in collision with dead European hedgehogs and quantified the results into six damage categories. All models were tested on four weight classes of hedgehogs, each placed in three different positions. None of the robotic lawn mowers tested was able to detect the presence of dependent juvenile...

Popular scientific description of The Danish Hedgehog Project You can read the article here: https://videnskab.dk/naturvidenskab/det-danske-pindsvineprojekt-hvordan-har-vores-pindsvin-det-egentlig-derude

Objectives Low genetic diversity can lead to reduced average fitness in a population or even extinction. Preserving genetic connectivity across fragmented landscapes is therefore vital to counteract the negative consequences of genetic drift and inbreeding. This study aimed to assess the genetic composition and consequently the conservation status...

Objectives Low genetic diversity can lead to reduced average fitness in a population or even extinction. Preserving genetic connectivity across fragmented landscapes is therefore vital to counteract the negative consequences of genetic drift and inbreeding. This study aimed to assess the genetic composition and consequently the conservation status...

A popular scientific article about the Danish Hedgehog Project.

European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus) populations are widespread across diverse habitats but are declining in Western Europe. Drastic declines have been described in the UK, with the most severe declines occurring in rural areas. Hedgehogs are widely distributed in Denmark, but their status remains unknown. Fieldwork on hedgehogs has tended to fo...

The objective of the study was to establish and refine a method for the genomic characterization of European hedgehogs in Denmark using the second-generation genotyping technique, genotyping by sequencing (GBS). Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were filtered with a read coverage between 20 - 100 and a maximum number of missing data of 25 %. I...

Objectives: A recent study from Sweden showed that European hedgehogs may constitute a reservoir for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), but this host-parasite relationship remains to be investigated in other countries. In this study, we therefore sought to: 1) determine the dissemination of MRSA in European hedgehogs throughout De...

European hedgehogs in Denmark