Software

We develop tools for our own research and teaching, and we make them available in the hope that they are useful to others. Both of the tools below run entirely in the browser: there is nothing to install, and no data ever leaves your computer.

ABI viewer

ABI viewer displays and compares Applied Biosystems fragment analysis files (.fsa and .ab1). Drop the files onto the page and it will show the electropherograms, let you switch between fluorescence channels, overlay the size standard, and calibrate scan positions to base pairs so that samples align by fragment size.

Electropherograms can be panned, zoomed and locked together so that every sample moves at once, and the peaks detected in all channels can be exported as a CSV file.

The source is on GitHub.

Population genetics simulations

Pop lab is a set of simulations written for our population genetics practices. Each one is a small interactive application: you set the parameters of a population, run the simulation, and see how the allele frequencies respond.

The available practices cover:

• genetic drift, and drift in populations exchanging migrants,

• selection, and balancing selection,

• the behaviour of one locus forward in time,

• the loss of diversity caused by bottlenecks and by founder effects,

• admixture between populations.

They are meant to be used in class, but they need no installation and can be run by anyone.

The source is on GitHub.