Big cats are of conservation concern throughout their range, and genetic tools are often employed to study them for various purposes. However, there are several difficulties in using genetic tools for big cat conservation that could be resolved by modern methods of DNA sequencing. Recent reports of the sighting of a putative Javan tiger Panthera tigris sondaica in West Java, Indonesia, highlight some of the difficulties of studying the genetics of big cats. We reanalysed the data of the original reports and found that the conclusions were drawn based on incorrect copies of the genes. Specifically, the nuclear copy of the mitochondrial gene was analysed with the mitochondrial sequence, leading to discordance in the results. However, re-sequencing of the remaining DNA confirms that the sighting could have been that of a tiger, but the subspecies cannot be confirmed. This work highlights the urgency of developing high-throughput sequencing infrastructure in the tropics and the need for reliable databases for the study of big cats.

In Peter the Great Bay (Russian waters of the Sea of Japan), rhizocephalan barnacle Peltogaster lineata Shiino, 1943, a common parasite of the hermit crab Pagurus brachiomastus (Thallwitz, 1891), was founded for the first time on the hermit crab Pagurus middendorffii Brandt, 1851 (Anomura: Paguridae). Taxonomical identification of the parasite was made using morphological and molecular methods. Pagurus middendorffii is the sixth host of P. lineata.

The Javan tiger Panthera tigris sondaica and the Bali tiger P. tigris balica were categorized as Extinct on the IUCN Red List in both 2003 and 2008, leaving only the Sumatran subspecies P. tigris sumatrae extant in Indonesia. There have, however, been occasional, more recent reports of the Javan tiger but without conclusive evidence. Here, a potential observation in 2019 of a Javan tiger in a community plantation near the village of Cipendeuy in the forest of South Sukabumi, West Java, and a single hair found on a fence nearby, are assessed. The cytochrome b mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) gene sequence of the putative Javan tiger hair were compared with that of a Javan tiger specimen in Museum Zoologicum Bogoriense, collected in 1930; hair samples of several tiger subspecies and the Javan leopard Panthera pardus melas were used as controls. The results showed that the genetic distances (d) of the putative Javan tiger hair with the Sumatran, Bengal P. tigris tigris and Amur P. tigris altaica tigers and the Javan leopard are 0.074 ± SE 0.009, 0.071 ± SE 0.009, 0.072 ± SE 0.009 and 0.088 ± SE 0.010, respectively, whereas the genetic distance of the putative Javan tiger hair with the Javan tiger museum specimen is 0.040 ± SE 0.006. In addition, phylogenetic trees showed that the putative Javan tiger hair sample belongs to the same group as the museum specimen of the Javan tiger, but is differentiated from other tiger subspecies and the Javan leopard. Whether the Javan tiger still occurs in the wild needs to be confirmed with further genetic and field studies.

The 1845 British polar expedition in search of a northwest passage through the Canadian Arctic under the command of Sir John Franklin resulted in the greatest loss of life event in the history of polar exploration. The names of the 129 officers and crew who sailed and died on the catastrophic voyage are known, but the identification of their skeletons found scattered along the route of their attempted escape is problematic. Here, we report DNA analyses from skeletal remains from King William Island, where the majority of the expedition fatalities occurred, and from a paternal descendant of a member of the expedition. A match was found between an archaeological sample and a presumed descendant sample using Y-chromosome haplotyping. We conclude that DNA and genealogical evidence confirm the identity of the remains as those of Warrant Officer John Gregory, Engineer, HMS Erebus. This is the first member of the 1845 Franklin expedition whose identity has been confirmed through DNA and genealogical analyses.

Studies were conducted to determine the effectiveness of 11 multiple treatment combinations of bensulide in controlling a perennial and an annual subspecies of annual bluegrass. Bensulide controlled 97% of the annual subspecies with annual applications of 11 kg ai ha–1 (Jan.) + 6 kg ha–1 (Feb.) + 6 kg ha–1 (Mar.) totaling 92 kg ha–1 in 4 yr. The annual subspecies appeared to have a germination period from mid November to early January. None of the bensulide treatments controlled the perennial subspecies acceptably. The common occurrence of these two subspecies in mixed stands may account for the erratic weed control reported by many researchers. Bentgrass showed good tolerance to bensulide totals over 4 yr of 160 kg ha–1 applied in a U.S. Golf Association rootzone green.

Background: Although the clinical importance of chorionicity in twin pregnancies has been studied widely, the significance of perinatal determination of zygosity using molecular genetic analyses remains controversial. The purpose of this study was to determine the frequency and clinical significance of twin gestations according to zygosity and chorionicity in a Korean population. Methods: We enrolled 569 women who delivered twin newborns (> 24 weeks) at Seoul National University Hospital between 1999 and 2008. Chorionicity was established by histologic examination of placentae. Zygosity was determined with sex of neonates, chorionicity, and DNA analysis of umbilical cord blood. Results: The frequency of dizygotic (DZ) twins was 71.0% (404/569 pairs) based on the opposite sex (238/404 [58.9%]) and DNA analyses (166/404 [41.1%]); that of monozygotic (MZ) twins was 29.0% (165/569), including monochorionic (MC) (72.1% [119/165]) and dichorionic (DC) twins (27.9% [46/165]), which was confirmed by DNA analyses. Among spontaneously conceived twins, the frequency of MZ twins was more than twice that of DZ twins. The risk of low birth weight was 1.8-fold higher among MZDC twins and 1.9-fold higher among MZMC twins than among DZDC twins (p < .05). Bronchopulmonary dysplasia occurred more frequently among MZMC twins than among DZDC twins (adjusted OR 8.42, 95% CI 1.82–39.08, p < .01). However, the frequencies of other neonatal morbidities were not significantly higher in the MZMC group than in the MZDC and DZDC groups. The perinatal mortality rate was 15 per 1000 total births in the DZDC twins, 20 per 1000 total births in the MZDC and 56 per 1000 total births in the MZMC (p < .01). Conclusions: Although monozygosity was shown to be a risk factor for perinatal death and accurate determination of zygosity plays a great role in the future consideration of organ transplantation and twin studies, the value of zygosity determination along with chorionicity in relation to overall neonatal morbidity was not definite.

We used transect and camera-trap surveys and DNA identification of scat samples to provide the first update since 1977 of large mammals in the montane forests of the conflict-ridden province of Nuristan in eastern Afghanistan. Nuristan contains a range of habitats from oak Quercus spp. forests to treeless alpine steppes that historically hosted populations of markhor Capra falconeri, Asiatic black bear Ursus thibetanus, grey wolf Canis lupus and common leopard Panthera pardus, among others. Surveys conducted in 2006–2009 in an area of 1,100 km2 by the Wildlife Conservation Society confirmed the presence of some of these species, and also recorded the common palm civet Paradoxurus hermaphroditus, previously unknown from Afghanistan; this extends the westernmost boundary for this species. The most commonly recorded species, as determined by direct sightings, scat identification or camera-trap photographs, were the Indian crested porcupine Hystrix indica, red fox Vulpes vulpes and a canid (grey wolf or golden jackal Canis aureus). Despite indications of significant habitat loss and unsustainable hunting, globally important species persist in the area and targeted conservation programmes are required for the protection of these species, the forests they inhabit and the surrounding communities who depend on both for their survival.

Eight papers were presented on topics ranging from the dissemination of drug resistance in Africa; the application of new antimalarial compounds; the basic biology of the malarial parasite; and methods for in vitro culture and its analysis, to the interaction of the malarial parasite with the infected host with particular reference to host genetic factors responsible for parasite survival.