Prof. QIU Qiang from Northwestern Polytechnical University visited the Institute of Hydrobiology (IHB) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences on September 23, 2022. During his visit, he gave a lecture with the title of “Evolutionary adaptation of ruminants and its implication for life health”.   

Prof. Qiu gave a quick overview of the collaborations and recent advances between his team and IHB. He introduced the important progress made by his team in recent years in evolutionary adaptation of ruminants, including the genetic mechanisms that helped yaks adapt to plateau life and reindeer adapt to polar extremes, as well as the genetic basis for giraffe adaptation to hypertension and genetic mechanisms that helped antler regeneration. “Giraffe antler regeneration and adaptation to hypertension are noteworthy for their potential use and applicability in human life and health,”said Qiu. In addition, Prof. Qiu also presented their findings on the development of the rumen, with emphasis on its cell differentiation and expression regulation.   

Later, Qiu had a thorough exchange and discussion with the audience on complex genome resolution, discovery of unique traits in animals, and antler regeneration.  

Prof. Qiu is currently the vice dean of the College of Ecology and Environment of Northwestern Polytechnic University, a standing member of the Professional Committee of Biological Evolution Theory of the Chinese Zoological Society, a standing member of the Professional Committee of Animal Genetics of the Genetics Society of China and a standing member of the Shaanxi Zoological Society. He has long been engaged in evolutionary genomics research and has made a series of achievements in the genetic resolution of complex traits and mechanisms of extreme environmental adaptation in ruminants.    

He has published papers in Science, Cell, Nature Genetics, Nature Ecology & Evolution, Science Advances, Nature Communications, and others. His achievements were selected as one of the "Top Ten Advances in Life Sciences in China", and he received the 16th China Youth Science and Technology Award as well as the National Natural Science Foundation of China Outstanding Youth Fund and Outstanding Youth Fund.