Gözde Çilingir on the Aldabra giant tortoise genome
Channel: GigaScience Press
Date: 12/10/2022

F Gözde Çilingir from the University of Zürich talks about her new GigaScience paper decoding the Aldabra giant tortoise genome. One of only two giant tortoise species left in the world, the species is endemic to Aldabra Atoll in Seychelles and is considered vulnerable to extinction due to its limited distribution and threats posed by climate change. Filmed in Zürich Zoo alongside Kely the Aldabra giant tortoise, Gözde tells us more about the research they carried out to assess the population structure of the wild population and reveal the geographic origins of captive individuals relevant for genetic diversity management and rewilding efforts.

Read the research in GigaScience:

Çilingir FG. et al. Chromosome-level genome assembly for the Aldabra giant tortoise enables insights into the genetic health of a threatened population. GigaScience. 11, giac090 2022. https://doi.org/10.1093/gigascience/giac090

Music credit: Papov - Yung Logos (youtube audio library)