Population Genetics seminars

Ocean-wide movement and mixing between tuna stocks make population monitoring difficult and increase uncertainty in sustainable-harvest estimates. Matthew Lauretta presents genetic close-kin mark-recapture methods evaluated using western Atlantic bluefin tuna collected during fisheries monitoring and research surveys. Larvae sampled on western spawning grounds provide genetic links to mature fish at spawning time. Adults later migrate to Northwest Atlantic feeding grounds, where they mix with other stocks. Comparing larval genotypes with adults caught by fisheries identifies parent–offspring relationships, allowing estimation of capture probabilities and the total abundance and biomass of the spawning population with relatively high precision. Online via Vimeo with advance attendee registration, including an option for attendees outside NOAA. Live captions are available and a recording is planned.

This lecture examines genetic control of tail length using variation between deer-mouse populations and targeted experiments. It considers multiple quantitative-trait loci, the possible role of Hoxd13 expression and evidence from altered Hox13 activity. Vertebral development provides a case study of how changes in gene regulation can produce evolutionary changes in body form.

This lecture compares two approaches to the evolution of mammalian tails. It critically examines the proposed role of altered Tbxt splicing in ape tail loss, including difficulties interpreting mouse experiments. It then introduces quantitative-genetic studies of deer mice in different habitats, where several loci contribute to variation in tail length.

David Reich examines how sequencing DNA from ancient human remains has changed the reconstruction of population history. Genetic evidence from past cultures can reveal relationships and movements that are difficult to infer from living populations alone, sometimes challenging interpretations based on archaeology, language and written history. The lecture explores what these discoveries imply for understanding shared and complex human ancestries, and how knowledge of the past could inform the study of human health. A discussion with Carl Zimmer connects the research to the interpretation and communication of evidence about human history. The programme extends the paleogenomic research associated with the 2022 medicine prize through recent work on ancient and modern human DNA.

Ports provide natural experiments in evolution because repeated introductions bring together organisms with different histories. This seminar examines how shipping and coastal urbanization generate mixed populations, dispersal mosaics and hybrid ecotypes. It explains how these processes help introduced marine species establish and can create ecological relationships and evolutionary lineages unlikely to arise without human transport.

Keolu Fox connects Polynesian wayfinding, evolutionary thought and genomic research through Indigenous Futurism. Genomes of descendants of Pacific navigators can illuminate migration histories and contemporary health challenges, while genetic data can support land reclamation, public health and cultural preservation. The lecture examines community-led research, benefit sharing and Indigenous decision-making as alternatives to extractive genomic practices. Fox also considers mobile genomic technologies that could bring research to remote communities, with applications in conservation genetics and healthcare. The central question is how scientific and technological advances can strengthen Indigenous agency while linking knowledge of the past to future resilience.

Svante Pääbo explains how DNA recovered from ancient remains opened an experimental route to studying extinct human relatives. The lecture follows the technical challenge of extracting reliable genetic information from small, degraded and contaminated samples, through the reconstruction of Neanderthal genomes and the identification of Denisovans. Comparisons with living people reveal interbreeding between archaic hominins and the ancestors of present-day humans. Pääbo connects those findings to questions about human origins, the genetic changes that distinguish modern humans, and the continuing biological effects of inherited archaic variants. The account shows how methodological advances in paleogenomics changed both the history of human populations and the questions that can be asked about human biology.

Biological systems can self-organize in complex structures, able to evolve and adapt to widely varying environmental conditions. Despite the importance of fluid flow for transporting and organizing populations, few laboratory systems exist to systematically investigate the impact of advection on their spatial evolutionary dynamics. In this talk, I will discuss how we can address this problem by studying the morphology and genetic spatial structure of microbial colonies growing on the surface of a viscous substrate. When grown on a liquid, I will show that S. cerevisiae (baker’s yeast) can behave like “active matter” and collectively generate a fluid flow many times larger than the unperturbed colony expansion speed, which in turn produces mechanical stresses and fragmentation of the initial colony. Combining laboratory experiments with numerical modeling, I will demonstrate that the coupling between metabolic activity and hydrodynamic flows can produce positive feedbacks and drive preferential growth phenomena leading to the formation of microbial jets. Our work provides rich opportunities to explore the interplay between hydrodynamics, growth and competition within a versatile system.

Microbes make up the vast majority of the tree of life. While we know very little about most microbial species, large-scale sequencing is giving us glimpses of the diversity that exists both within species and in ecosystems. The challenge now is to find the patterns in this diversity and understand them. This session features provocative talks on attempts to meet that challenge.

Natural selection affects not only selected alleles, but also indirectly affects all genes near selected sites on the genome. An increasing body of evidence suggests that this linked selection is an important driver of evolutionary dynamics throughout the genomes of many species, implying that we need to substantially revise our basic understanding of molecular evolution. This session brings together early-career researchers working towards a quantitative understanding of the prevalence and effects of linked selection.

In this talk, Professor Hardy will discuss the different causes and predispositions of PD that exist in Africa, and the differences to European populations. He will go on to discuss the importance of highlighting these differences and the impact of this vital research to people living with PD in Africa, as well as their families and caregivers.