All Stories

  1. Does mitochondrial DNA replication in Chlamydomonas require a reverse transcriptase?

    Article • New Phytologist, October 2020, Wiley

    Professor David R Smith

  2. Do you miss the conference circuit? I surely don't

    Article • EMBO Reports, September 2020, EMBO

    Professor David R Smith

  3. Revisiting Ceriantharian (Anthozoa) Mitochondrial Genomes: Casting Doubts about Their Structure and Size

    Article • Genome Biology and Evolution, June 2020, Oxford University Press (OUP)

    Professor David R Smith

  4. Is sabbatical a dirty word?

    Article • EMBO Reports, June 2020, EMBO

    Professor David R Smith

  5. Academic street smarts: be vigilant of fraudsters

    Article • EMBO Reports, April 2020, EMBO

    Professor David R Smith

  6. Can Green Algal Plastid Genome Size Be Explained by DNA Repair Mechanisms?

    Article • Genome Biology and Evolution, January 2020, Oxford University Press (OUP)

    Professor David R Smith

  7. Revisiting published genomes with fresh eyes and new data

    Article • EMBO Reports, November 2019, EMBO

    Professor David R Smith

  8. Unparalleled Variation in RNA Editing among Selaginella Plastomes

    Article • PLANT PHYSIOLOGY, September 2019, American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB)

    Professor David R Smith

  9. Relative Mutation Rates in Nucleomorph-Bearing Algae

    Article • Genome Biology and Evolution, March 2019, Oxford University Press (OUP)

    Professor David R Smith

  10. Presence and absence of light-independent chlorophyll biosynthesis among Chlamydomonas green algae in an ice-covered Antarctic lake

    Article • Communicative & Integrative Biology, January 2019, Taylor & Francis

    Professor David R Smith

  11. The enigmatic loss of light-independent chlorophyll biosynthesis from an Antarctic green alga in a light-limited environment

    Article • New Phytologist, December 2018, Wiley

    Professor David R Smith

  12. Haematococcus lacustris: the makings of a giant-sized chloroplast genome

    Article • AoB Plants, October 2018, Oxford University Press (OUP)

    Professor David R Smith

  13. Is it time to put a humidifier in the dry domain of writing scientific papers?

    Article • EMBO Reports, September 2018, EMBO

    Professor David R Smith

  14. Exploring the Limits and Causes of Plastid Genome Expansion in Volvocine Green Algae

    Article • Genome Biology and Evolution, August 2018, Oxford University Press (OUP)

    Professor David R Smith

  15. Spathaspora passalidarum selected for resistance to AFEX hydrolysate shows decreased cell yield

    Article • FEMS Yeast Research, June 2018, Oxford University Press (OUP)

    Professor David R Smith

  16. How photosynthetic proteins work in Antarctic environments

    Article • New Phytologist, May 2018, Wiley

    Marina Cvetkovska, Professor David R Smith

  17. Bringing bioinformatics to the scientific masses

    Article • EMBO Reports, May 2018, EMBO

    Professor David R Smith

  18. Plastid genomes hit the big time

    Article • New Phytologist, March 2018, Wiley

    Professor David R Smith

  19. Attention, attention: your most valuable scientific assets are under attack

    Article • EMBO Reports, January 2018, EMBO

    Professor David R Smith

  20. Does Cell Size Impact Chloroplast Genome Size?

    Article • Frontiers in Plant Science, December 2017, Frontiers

    Professor David R Smith

  21. Evolution: In Chloroplast Genomes, Anything Goes

    Article • Current Biology, December 2017, Elsevier

    Professor David R Smith

  22. The Frankenthesis

    Article • EMBO Reports, November 2017, EMBO

    Professor David R Smith

  23. Don't just dump your data and run

    Article • EMBO Reports, October 2017, EMBO

    Professor David R Smith

  24. Pervasive Transcription of Mitochondrial, Plastid, and Nucleomorph Genomes across Diverse Plastid-Bearing Species

    Article • Genome Biology and Evolution, September 2017, Oxford University Press (OUP)

    Professor David R Smith

  25. Pervasive, Genome-Wide Transcription in the Organelle Genomes of Diverse Plastid-Bearing Protists

    Article • G3 Genes Genomes Genetics, September 2017, Genetics Society of America

    Professor David R Smith

  26. The plastid genomes of nonphotosynthetic algae are not so small after all

    Article • Communicative & Integrative Biology, January 2017, Taylor & Francis

    Professor David R Smith

  27. More than ever, scientists need to engage with the public: the stakes are high and they may be for keeps

    Article • EMBO Reports, December 2016, EMBO

    Professor David R Smith

  28. The Plastid Genome of Polytoma uvella Is the Largest Known among Colorless Algae and Plants and Reflects Contrasting Evolutionary Paths to Nonphotosynthetic Lifestyles

    Article • PLANT PHYSIOLOGY, December 2016, American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB)

    Professor David R Smith

  29. A walk in the park

    Article • EMBO Reports, October 2016, EMBO

    Professor David R Smith

  30. Protists and the Wild, Wild West of Gene Expression: New Frontiers, Lawlessness, and Misfits

    Article • Annual Review of Microbiology, September 2016, Annual Reviews

    Professor David R Smith

  31. The (in)complete organelle genome: exploring the use and nonuse of available technologies for characterizing mitochondrial and plastid chromosomes

    Article • Molecular Ecology Resources, August 2016, Wiley

    Professor David R Smith

  32. One Scientist’s Struggle to Be a Better Writer, and a Plea for Undergraduate Science-Writing Engagement

    Article • Science Communication, August 2016, SAGE Publications

    Professor David R Smith

  33. The mutational hazard hypothesis of organelle genome evolution: 10 years on

    Article • Molecular Ecology, July 2016, Wiley

    Professor David R Smith

  34. Recovering complete mitochondrial genome sequences from RNA-Seq: A case study of Polytomella non-photosynthetic green algae

    Article • Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, May 2016, Elsevier

    Professor David R Smith

  35. The Gonium pectorale genome demonstrates co-option of cell cycle regulation during the evolution of multicellularity

    Article • Nature Communications, April 2016, Nature

    Professor David R Smith

  36. Will Publons Popularize the Scientific Peer-Review Process?

    Article • BioScience, March 2016, Oxford University Press (OUP)

    Professor David R Smith

  37. Resolving the phylogenetic relationship between Chlamydomonas sp. UWO 241 and Chlamydomonas raudensis sag 49.72 (Chlorophyceae) with nuclear and plastid DNA ...

    Article • Journal of Phycology, February 2016, Wiley

    Professor David R Smith

  38. Retention, erosion, and loss of the carotenoid biosynthetic pathway in the nonphotosynthetic green algal genus Polytomella

    Article • New Phytologist, September 2015, Wiley

    Professor David R Smith

  39. Auxenochlorella protothecoides and Prototheca wickerhamii plastid genome sequences give insight into the origins of non-photosynthetic algae

    Article • Scientific Reports, September 2015, Nature

    Dr Jean-François Pombert, Professor David R Smith

  40. Broadening the definition of a bioinformatician

    Article • Frontiers in Genetics, August 2015, Frontiers

    Professor David R Smith

  41. The past, present and future of mitochondrial genomics: have we sequenced enough mtDNAs?

    Article • Briefings in Functional Genomics, June 2015, Oxford University Press (OUP)

    Professor David R Smith

  42. Mutation Rates in Plastid Genomes: They Are Lower than You Might Think

    Article • Genome Biology and Evolution, April 2015, Oxford University Press (OUP)

    Professor David R Smith

  43. Mitochondrial and plastid genome architecture: Reoccurring themes, but significant differences at the extremes

    Article • Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, March 2015, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

    Professor David R Smith

  44. Massive and Widespread Organelle Genomic Expansion in the Green Algal Genus Dunaliella

    Article • Genome Biology and Evolution, February 2015, Oxford University Press (OUP)

    Professor David R Smith

  45. When the lights go out: the evolutionary fate of free‐living colorless green algae

    Article • New Phytologist, January 2015, Wiley

    Professor David R Smith

  46. The outsourcing and commercialization of science: Is the lab CEO the future of academic research?

    Article • EMBO Reports, November 2014, EMBO

    Professor David R Smith

  47. Nucleotide substitution analyses of the glaucophyte Cyanophora suggest an ancestrally lower mutation rate in plastid vs mitochondrial DNA for the Archaeplastida

    Article • Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, October 2014, Elsevier

    Professor David R Smith

  48. Soil-transmitted helminths are a serious but understudied health concern in South Africa, requiring immediate attention from the scientific community.

    Article • F1000Research, September 2014, F1000Research

    Professor David R Smith

  49. Buying in to bioinformatics: an introduction to commercial sequence analysis software

    Article • Briefings in Bioinformatics, September 2014, Oxford University Press (OUP)

    Professor David R Smith

  50. Next‐generation sequencing data suggest that certain nonphotosynthetic green plants have lost their plastid genomes

    Article • New Phytologist, June 2014, Wiley

    Professor David R Smith

  51. The Marine Microbial Eukaryote Transcriptome Sequencing Project (MMETSP): Illuminating the Functional Diversity of Eukaryotic Life in the Oceans through Transcriptome Sequencing

    Article • PLoS Biology, June 2014, PLOS

    Professor David R Smith

  52. Last-gen nostalgia: a lighthearted rant and reflection on genome sequencing culture

    Article • Frontiers in Genetics, May 2014, Frontiers

    Professor David R Smith

  53. A Plastid without a Genome: Evidence from the Nonphotosynthetic Green Algal Genus Polytomella

    Article • PLANT PHYSIOLOGY, February 2014, American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB)

    Professor David R Smith

  54. Massive difference in synonymous substitution rates among mitochondrial, plastid, and nuclear genes of Phaeocystis algae

    Article • Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, February 2014, Elsevier

    Professor David R Smith

  55. Mitochondrion‐to‐plastid DNA transfer: it happens

    Article • New Phytologist, January 2014, Wiley

    Professor David R Smith

  56. Hemoglobins in the genome of the cryptomonad Guillardia theta

    Article • Biology Direct, January 2014, Springer Science + Business Media

    Professor David R Smith

  57. Volvox, Rolling out from under the Shadow of Chlamydomonas with Support from the AGA

    Article • Journal of Heredity, November 2013, Oxford University Press (OUP)

    Professor David R Smith

  58. Are we divorced from the species we study?

    Article • F1000Research, November 2013, Faculty of 1000, Ltd.

    Professor David R Smith

  59. What’s in a Name? A Lot if You’re a Little-Known Microbe

    Article • BioScience, October 2013, Oxford University Press (OUP)

    Professor David R Smith

  60. Palindromic Genes in the Linear Mitochondrial Genome of the Nonphotosynthetic Green Alga Polytomella magna

    Article • Genome Biology and Evolution, August 2013, Oxford University Press (OUP)

    Professor David R Smith

  61. Gene Conversion Shapes Linear Mitochondrial Genome Architecture

    Article • Genome Biology and Evolution, April 2013, Oxford University Press (OUP)

    Professor David R Smith

  62. Mitochondrial and Plastid Genomes of the Colonial Green Alga Gonium pectorale Give Insights into the Origins of Organelle DNA Architecture within the Volvocales

    Article • PLoS ONE, February 2013, PLOS

    Professor David R Smith

  63. RNA-Seq data: a goldmine for organelle research

    Article • Briefings in Functional Genomics, January 2013, Oxford University Press (OUP)

    Professor David R Smith

  64. Organelle Genome Complexity Scales Positively with Organism Size in Volvocine Green Algae

    Article • Molecular Biology and Evolution, January 2013, Oxford University Press (OUP)

    Professor David R Smith

  65. Complete Genome Sequences from Three Genetically Distinct Strains Reveal High Intraspecies Genetic Diversity in the Microsporidian Encephalitozoon cuniculi

    Article • Eukaryotic Cell, January 2013, ASM Journals

    Dr Jean-François Pombert, Professor David R Smith

  66. The battle for user-friendly bioinformatics

    Article • Frontiers in Genetics, January 2013, Frontiers

    Professor David R Smith

  67. Microbial Eukaryote Globins

    Article • January 2013, Elsevier

    Professor David R Smith

  68. Death of the genome paper

    Article • Frontiers in Genetics, January 2013, Frontiers

    Professor David R Smith

  69. Relative rates of evolution among the three genetic compartments of the red alga Porphyra differ from those of green plants and do not correlate with genome architecture

    Article • Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, October 2012, Elsevier

    Professor David R Smith

  70. Does the Mode of Plastid Inheritance Influence Plastid Genome Architecture?

    Article • PLoS ONE, September 2012, PLOS

    Professor David R Smith

  71. Not seeing the genomes for the DNA

    Article • Briefings in Functional Genomics, March 2012, Oxford University Press (OUP)

    Professor David R Smith

  72. Twenty-Fold Difference in Evolutionary Rates between the Mitochondrial and Plastid Genomes of Species with Secondary Red Plastids

    Article • Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology, January 2012, Wiley

    Professor David R Smith

  73. Updating Our View of Organelle Genome Nucleotide Landscape

    Article • Frontiers in Genetics, January 2012, Frontiers

    Professor David R Smith

  74. Similar Relative Mutation Rates in the Three Genetic Compartments of Mesostigma and Chlamydomonas

    Article • Protist, January 2012, Elsevier

    Professor David R Smith

  75. Phylogeny and Molecular Evolution of the Green Algae

    Article • Critical Reviews in Plant Sciences, January 2012, Taylor & Francis

    Professor David R Smith, Frederik Leliaert, Matthew Herron

  76. Making Your Genbank Entry Count

    Article • Frontiers in Genetics, January 2012, Frontiers

    Professor David R Smith

  77. First Complete Mitochondrial Genome Sequence from a Box Jellyfish Reveals a Highly Fragmented Linear Architecture and Insights into Telomere Evolution

    Article • Genome Biology and Evolution, November 2011, Oxford University Press (OUP)

    Professor David R Smith

  78. The GC-Rich Mitochondrial and Plastid Genomes of the Green Alga Coccomyxa Give Insight into the Evolution of Organelle DNA Nucleotide Landscape

    Article • PLoS ONE, August 2011, PLOS

    Professor James L Van Etten, Professor David R Smith

  79. Extending the Limited Transfer Window Hypothesis to Inter-organelle DNA Migration

    Article • Genome Biology and Evolution, July 2011, Oxford University Press (OUP)

    Professor David R Smith

  80. Nucleotide Diversity of the Colorless Green Alga Polytomella parva (Chlorophyceae, Chlorophyta): High for the Mitochondrial Telomeres, Surprisingly Low Everywhere Else*

    Article • Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology, July 2011, Wiley

    Professor David R Smith

  81. Correlation between Nuclear Plastid DNA Abundance and Plastid Number Supports the Limited Transfer Window Hypothesis

    Article • Genome Biology and Evolution, February 2011, Oxford University Press (OUP)

    Professor David R Smith

  82. Evolution of linear mitochondrial DNA in three known lineages of Polytomella

    Article • Current Genetics, June 2010, Springer Science + Business Media

    Professor David R Smith

  83. Low Nucleotide Diversity for the Expanded Organelle and Nuclear Genomes of Volvox carteri Supports the Mutational-Hazard Hypothesis

    Article • Molecular Biology and Evolution, April 2010, Oxford University Press (OUP)

    Professor David R Smith

  84. The Dunaliella salina organelle genomes: large sequences, inflated with intronic and intergenic DNA

    Article • BMC Plant Biology, January 2010, Springer Science + Business Media

    Professor David R Smith

  85. Unparalleled GC content in the plastid DNA of Selaginella

    Article • Plant Molecular Biology, September 2009, Springer Science + Business Media

    Professor David R Smith

  86. The mitochondrial and plastid genomes of Volvox carteri: bloated molecules rich in repetitive DNA

    Article • BMC Genomics, January 2009, Springer Science + Business Media

    Professor David R Smith

  87. Nucleotide diversity of the Chlamydomonas reinhardtii plastid genome: addressing the mutational-hazard hypothesis

    Article • BMC Evolutionary Biology, January 2009, Springer Science + Business Media

    Professor David R Smith

  88. Mitochondrial Genome of the Colorless Green Alga Polytomella capuana: A Linear Molecule with an Unprecedented GC Content

    Article • Molecular Biology and Evolution, January 2008, Oxford University Press (OUP)

    Professor David R Smith

  89. Nucleotide diversity in the mitochondrial and nuclear compartments of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii: investigating the origins of genome architecture

    Article • BMC Evolutionary Biology, January 2008, Springer Science + Business Media

    Professor David R Smith

  90. Complete Mitochondrial DNA Sequence of the Scallop Placopecten magellanicus: Evidence of Transposition Leading to an Uncharacteristically Large Mitochondrial Genome

    Article • Journal of Molecular Evolution, October 2007, Springer Science + Business Media

    Professor David R Smith