DNA Metabarcoding Spring School

The first year of my biology studies I figured out that genetics was not very interesting. All sorts of small things you cannot see! So I did not take a course of genetics labwork practicals which we were offered. Well, I probably should have taken it. The last years I have been learning (admittedly a small fraction) genetics the hard way... I use a method called DNA metabarcoding (http://metabarcoding.org/spip.php?article1) to figure out what voles and lemmings have eaten on the tundra. As their stomach contents look rather much like a porridge when you put it under a microscope, I try to hunt down the DNA of different plants in that porridge. Those little things you cannot see... can be useful sometimes!

So, as the big part of my PhD will be based on such methods that I do not understand all too well, I took the opportunity to participate a week-long DNA metabarcoding Spring School in France last week. As it is a bit difficult to take interesting photos of people listening to presentations, I put here some photos of mountains instead.


Les Alpes sont jolie! And I tried for the first time in my life downhill-skiing with alpine skiis in a skiing center. It was fun, a lot easier than the karvalakkiversio in Norway with hiking up and telemarking down through all sorts of random snow and ice. Although my inner chicken is not quite sure if it is reasonable at all to ski down as fast as possible. So I keep turning a whole lot. And a bit more just to be sure. And as I did not exactly master anything called a good technique, my muscles were burning in a few hours.... For some reason I am stronger at going up than down ;)

Well, we did also try some hands-on work.... It was not all about cheese and wine and swimming pool and mountains ;) But they did not make the experience any worse!

And then, back home and back to proper work! Hopefully I get soon far enough with that to give a little popular scientific summary of the next manuscript, where I use these methods based on small invisible things!