Finding the genetic underpinnings of an ancient thermotolerance divergence in yeast

Based on a study using a novel method to map the genetic basis of thermotolerance between two related yeast species, I have constructed strains with combinations of thermotolerance-conferring alleles. With seven of these candidate alleles, we can recapitulate ~10% of the thermotolerant species' phenotype. Here, we use the thermosensitive species as a model for the ancestral state, and this allows us to tell a story about the long-term evolution of this trait.