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In Review: Evolutionary Genomics

Light As a Feather By analyzing wavelengths of light, a researcher explores the evolution of birds.Photography by J. Adam Fenster
photo shows array of feathers used by University of Rochester researchers to study bird evoloution

A composite of images highlights the research of Maria Castaño, a PhD student in ecology and evolutionary genomics, who is analyzing the feathers of tanagers to explore how the species evolves over time.

Conducting research in the lab of evolutionary biology professor Albert Uy, Castaño uses a spe-trophotometer, a device that measures specific wavelengths of light, to study how the feathers—collected in her native Colombia—tell the story of the birds’ evolution.