News coverage for the newly defined Capensibufo rosei on the Cape peninsula

NB: Don't believe everything you read in the press!

Presenting global amphibian impacts at University of Toronto - Scarborough

I got some great feedback from the folk at University of Toronto - Scarborough on our work assessing the impacts of invasive amphibians. In this slide I was talking about the article published the same day in The Converstation. 

It's World Wildlife Day again

This year I've put together a piece for The Conversation about World Wildlife Day. Read it by following the link here.

It's warm inside, but outside it's freezing - literally

I'm very luckky to be spending some time in the Evans Lab this March, with my first experience of a -10 C cycle ride in Canada today. We're working up the next gen sequencing data generated last year for investigating hybridisation of Xenopus laevis and Xenopus gilli. 

Ben visited the MeaseyLab back in June 2015, when he delivered a workshop on next gen sequencing analysis. Ben's work at McMaster University, Hamilton Ontario, has already included processing of lots of next gen datasets. Handling all the data is quite a task!

Organisation for Tropical Studies help monitor the Cape Clawed frog

The Organisation for Tropical Studies (OTS) comes twice a year to the Cape region to conduct Faculty Field Projects (FFP). We have been using their flare and enthusiasm to help monitor the Cape Platanna, Xenopus gilli, in the Cape of Good Hope.

Seen above, setting traps can be hazardous. First you have to separate the traps from each other. Then you can get stuck in deep mud. Lastly, you have to set them into the water, which means getting your feet wet. Reminds me of last February...

This year we had a meeting with a film crew from 50:50 who used the opportunity to interview some of the students about their role in the project.