Morgan Wirthlin

TL;DR: A genome-scale phylogenetic analysis of 48 species representing all orders of Neoaves recovered a highly resolved tree that confirms previously controversial sister or close relationships and identifies the first divergence in Neoaves, two groups the authors named Passerea and Columbea.

TL;DR: The finding that convergent neural circuits for vocal learning are accompanied by convergent molecular changes of multiple genes in species separated by millions of years from a common ancestor indicates that brain circuits for complex traits may have limited ways in which they could have evolved from that ancestor.

TL;DR: A new version of the chicken genome assembly is presented, built from combined long single molecule sequencing technology, finished BACs, and improved physical maps, and revisited the question of what genes are missing in the avian lineage, and found that a large fraction of the original set of missing genes are still absent in sequenced bird species.

TL;DR: The densely sampled alignment provides a single-base-pair map of selection, has more than doubled the fraction of bases that are confidently predicted to be under conservation and reveals extensive patterns of weak selection in predominantly non-coding DNA.

TL;DR: A clearer definition of the genetic background of extant birds is provided, the findings of previous studies on missing avian genes are extended, and clues about molecular events that shaped avian evolution are provided.