Genetic Diversity
genetic diversity
Fate and freedom in the developing mammalian brain
While the diversity of neurons in the adult mammalian brain is staggering, these cells emerge from a seemingly limited set of progenitors during development. This begs the question of how complexity emerges from a finite number of elements during dynamic biological processes. Here, I will discuss recent work from my laboratory addressing relationships between genetic diversity and connectivity in single-cell types, and how progenitor diversity may constrain adult brain cellular states during normal and abnormal brain development.
Can we predict the diversity of real populations? Part I: What is linked selection doing to populations?
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.