Molecular Phylogenetic Research at the National Museum: Catalog for the exhibition "The Age of Genes"
Abstract
This critical catalogue from the "The Age of Genes" exhibition presents readers with the comprehensive development of molecular phylogenetic and taxonomic research conducted at the National Museum. The reader will thus become acquainted with the Natural History Museum, which is part of the National Museum, and within which modern molecular genetic laboratories were established in 2003 at the Zoological Department and in 2016 at the Entomological Department.
To facilitate orientation in this type of research, a general introduction is provided to present in brief a global-scale general advances in the field of genetics as well as a research into the DNA molecule itself, in the form of a historical survey. From Mendel's Laws of 1869 to the first real photo of the DNA helix taken by a transmission electron microscope in 2012.
In addition, the actual structure of the DNA molecule, its placement, function and inheritance, which are among the basic attributes of this compound, are described in detail. Certainly major milestones, and not just for zoology, were Sanger's DNA sequencing, i.e. determining the order of the individual components (nucleotides) in the DNA obtained from an organism, and then the Mullis polymerase chain reaction, which serves to simply amplify a selected DNA segment taken from along its entire length.
These two molecular genetic methods are now quite routinely used in zoology, and these approaches have opened up a whole new level of knowledge. In general, these methods are used in a major way in research into the evolution of organisms, of their phylogenetic relationships, systematics and taxonomy in general and, of course, in the study of organism populations and their interrelationships.
In addition to new, hitherto unresolved questions, these methods have an impact on many already existing results, which have often been transformed into quite different forms. The catalogue presents in essence the whole of the molecular taxonomic and phylogenetic research of the Natural History Museum.
It is an up-to-date list of works making use of these methods and for selected studies such approaches are described in more detail for the lay public. The reader will thus learn more about the work of the Natural History Museum, which includes describing dozens of new species and subspecies from the world's fauna every year.
This type of research not only progressively reveals more fragments of the overall diversity of organisms on our planet, but can also be used very successfully in conservation practice. At the same time, research is pointed out that was directly funded by the NAKI II project, which also gave rise to The Age of Genes exhibition and this critical cat- alogue that accompanies it.
The final part of the catalogue consists of individual exhibit photographs with details.