The ability to map «epigenomes» using such a small number of cells will be valuable to cancer research, since the epigenetic landscape is dramatically rearranged in cancer and contributes to phenomena driven by small subpopulations of cells, such as drug resistance and metastasis. (sciencedaily.com)
Additionally, the size of the data sets allows for examination of small subpopulations such as children of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander background, children with special needs or children in remote areas of Australia. (academic.oup.com)
One big question is whether or not they exhibit «migratory connectivity,» where individuals from the same breeding area also migrate to the same wintering area; strong connectivity means that a population is divided into small subpopulations that are especially vulnerable to environmental changes. (sciencedaily.com)