Yaniv’s Capsella article is the cover image of PLOS genetics

Image Credit: Kim Steige

Flowers of the selfing plant species, C. rubella. In this issue, Brandvain et al. identify blocks of ancestry inherited from the founders of this recently derived species. With these blocks, they learn that C. rubella split from its outcrossing progenitor around 50 to 100,000 years ago, and subsequently lost much of its genetic diversity. These ancestry blocks also inform us about the number of individuals that founded C. rubella, the relaxation of purifying selection since its origin, and its spread across the globe.