Academic Year 2012-2013
Event Title
The Chicken or the Egg Paradox Revisited: The Birth and Death of Genes
Location
Alvin Sherman Library, Room 2053
Start Date
13-9-2012 12:00 PM
End Date
13-9-2012 1:00 PM
Disciplines
Genetics
Description
In an evolutionary biology context, living organisms and genes comprise a continuum, lineages that come and go. Some lineages stretch far back in time, while others have already truncated to a dead stop. Through modern phylogenetic methods, some lineages can be traced back to their origins. This presentation describes the life and birth of genes and gene families—the starting point for creating any organism. Can something as intricate and vital as the Blueprint of Life arise out of “nothing;” that is, creatio ex nihilo? If so, what are the costs, advantages, and mechanisms?
The Chicken or the Egg Paradox Revisited: The Birth and Death of Genes
Alvin Sherman Library, Room 2053
In an evolutionary biology context, living organisms and genes comprise a continuum, lineages that come and go. Some lineages stretch far back in time, while others have already truncated to a dead stop. Through modern phylogenetic methods, some lineages can be traced back to their origins. This presentation describes the life and birth of genes and gene families—the starting point for creating any organism. Can something as intricate and vital as the Blueprint of Life arise out of “nothing;” that is, creatio ex nihilo? If so, what are the costs, advantages, and mechanisms?