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Alan Cooper (biologist)

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Alan Cooper
Born
Alan J. Cooper

1966 (age 57–58)
Dunedin, New Zealand
Alma materVictoria University of Wellington (PhD)
Scientific career
Fields
InstitutionsVictoria University Wellington
Smithsonian Institution
University of Oxford
University of Adelaide
Thesis[permanent dead link‍] Molecular evolutionary studies of New Zealand birds (1994)
Doctoral advisorAllan C. Wilson
Svante Pääbo
Doctoral studentsBeth Shapiro[2]
Marcus Thomas Pius Gilbert[3]
Websitewww.adelaide.edu.au/acad/

Alan J. Cooper (born 1966)[4] is a New Zealand evolutionary molecular biologist and Ancient DNA researcher. He is the director of the Australian Centre for Ancient DNA at the University of Adelaide, South Australia.[5][1][6][7][8][9]

Early life and education

Cooper was born in Dunedin, New Zealand and grew up in Wellington, New Zealand, where he was involved in cave exploration at university and regional level. He was awarded a PhD from the Victoria University of Wellington in 1994[10][4] for evolutionary studies of New Zealand birds.[10] During his PhD he also worked at the University of California, Berkeley supervised by Allan C. Wilson and Svante Pääbo.[citation needed]

Career and research

Cooper is known as one of the pioneers of ancient DNA research, performing some of the first Polymerase chain reaction-based studies with Svante Paabo and Allan C. Wilson at UC Berkeley in 1989. In 2001, he used these methods to characterise the first complete genome sequences from an extinct species, mitochondrial genomes from two New Zealand moa.[11]

Cooper established the Henry Wellcome Ancient Biomolecules Centre at the University of Oxford in 1999, which he directed until 2005.[12] He became Professor of Ancient Biomolecules at Oxford in 2002.[13] In 2004, he was awarded an Australian Research Council (ARC) Federation Fellowship to establish the Australian Centre for Ancient DNA at the University of Adelaide, South Australia where he is the Director.[7]

Cooper has analysed ancient DNA from extinct species preserved in permafrost areas of Alaska and the Yukon,[14] and cave and archaeological deposits around the world. He has published on the evolutionary history of enigmatic extinct species such as: New Zealand moa and Madagascan elephant bird (Aepyornis), the dodo, American lion (P. leo atrox) and cheetah-like cat (Miracinonyx), North and South American horses (stilt-legged horse, Hippidion), steppe bison, bears (Arctodus, U. arctos), cave hyenas (Crocuta spelaea) and the Falkland Islands wolf (Dusicyon australis). He has also shown that the calcified plaque on the teeth of ancient skeletons can be used to reconstruct the evolution of the human microbiome through time.[15]

In 2000, with Henrik Poinar, he suggested that the standards of much ancient DNA research were insufficient to rule out contamination, especially in studies of ancient humans.[16] He has also published a series of papers showing that the molecular clock changes speed according to the time period used to measure it.[17][18]

Awards and honours

References

  1. ^ a b Alan Cooper publications indexed by Google Scholar Edit this at Wikidata
  2. ^ Shapiro, Beth Alison (2003). Inferring evolutionary history and processes using ancient DNA. bodleian.ox.ac.uk (DPhil thesis). Oxford: University of Oxford. OCLC 56923402. [permanent dead link‍]
  3. ^ Gilbert, Thomas (2003). An Assessment of the Use of Human Samples in Ancient DNA Studies (DPhil thesis). Oxford: University of Oxford.
  4. ^ a b "Alpha Series Issue 115: Alan Cooper". Royal Society of New Zealand. March 2003. Retrieved on 18 October 2014.
  5. ^ "RiAus: Alan Cooper", Royal Institution of Australia, Retrieved on 18 October 2014.
  6. ^ Alan Cooper's ORCID 0000-0002-7738-7851
  7. ^ a b Ancient Dentistry - Learning from DNA: Alan Cooper at TEDxAdelaide on YouTube
  8. ^ Resurrected mammoth blood with Alan Cooper on YouTube
  9. ^ Professor Alan Cooper of the University of Adelaide discusses fossil finds from the Natural Trap Cave in Wyoming on YouTube
  10. ^ a b Cooper, Alan (1994). Molecular evolutionary studies of New Zealand birds. tewaharoa.victoria.ac.nz (PhD thesis). Victoria University of Wellington. OCLC 154061907.[permanent dead link‍]
  11. ^ Cooper, Alan; Lalueza-Fox, Carles; Anderson, Simon; Rambaut, Andrew; Austin, Jeremy; Ward, Ryk (2001). "Complete mitochondrial genome sequences of two extinct moas clarify ratite evolution". Nature. 409 (6821): 704–707. doi:10.1038/35055536. ISSN 0028-0836.
  12. ^ "Oxford DNA lab leaderless" The Scientist 2 June 2005. Retrieved on 7 December 2014
  13. ^ "Supplement 1: Recognition of Distinction" Oxford University Gazette 26 September 2002. Retrieved on 18 October 2014
  14. ^ Kahn, Jennifer. "Canada's Ancient Monsters on Ice", Discover, 28 March 2004. Retrieved on 18 October 2014
  15. ^ Adler, Christina J; Dobney, Keith; Weyrich, Laura S; Kaidonis, John; Walker, Alan W; Haak, Wolfgang; Bradshaw, Corey J A; Townsend, Grant; Sołtysiak, Arkadiusz; Alt, Kurt W; Parkhill, Julian; Cooper, Alan (2013). "Sequencing ancient calcified dental plaque shows changes in oral microbiota with dietary shifts of the Neolithic and Industrial revolutions". Nature Genetics. 45 (4): 450–455. doi:10.1038/ng.2536. ISSN 1061-4036.
  16. ^ Cooper, A. (2000). "Ancient DNA: Do It Right or Not at All". Science. 289 (5482): 1139b–1139. doi:10.1126/science.289.5482.1139b. ISSN 0036-8075.
  17. ^ Ho, S. Y. W. (2005). "Time Dependency of Molecular Rate Estimates and Systematic Overestimation of Recent Divergence Times". Molecular Biology and Evolution. 22 (7): 1561–1568. doi:10.1093/molbev/msi145. ISSN 0737-4038.
  18. ^ Ho, Simon Y. W.; Lanfear, Robert; Bromham, Lindell; Phillips, Matthew J.; Soubrier, Julien; Rodrigo, Allen G.; Cooper, Alan (2011). "Time-dependent rates of molecular evolution". Molecular Ecology. 20 (15): 3087–3101. doi:10.1111/j.1365-294X.2011.05178.x. ISSN 0962-1083.
  19. ^ "Australian Research Council Laureate Fellowship: Alan Cooper" Archived 11 March 2015 at the Wayback Machine "Australian Research Council" Archived 22 November 2014 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 7 December 2014
  20. ^ "Australian Centre for Ancient DNA: Research" Retrieved on 7 December 2014
  21. ^ "Australian Research Council Future Fellowships 2009" Archived 10 March 2015 at the Wayback Machine "Australian Research Council" Archived 22 November 2014 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 7 December 2014
  22. ^ "Australian Research Council Federation Fellowships 2004" Archived 7 July 2012 at the Wayback Machine "Australian Research Council" Archived 22 November 2014 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 7 December 2014
  23. ^ "Annual Report of the Institute of Zoology 2001/02" [Zoological Society of London] Retrieved on 7 December 2014
  24. ^ "Philip Leverhulme Prizes 2002" (PDF). Leverhulme Trust. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help) [dead link‍] Retrieved on 7 December 2014
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