Topic: functional information

Genome annotation connects assembled sequences with functional information, but many sequenced genomes remain unannotated and large-scale annotation is difficult to standardise and evaluate. The Australian Tree of Life Bioinformatics Group and international biodiversity researchers are working to automate genome assembly and annotation so that researchers without specialist bioinformatics expertise can use them. During an industry placement hosted by the Australian Genome Research Facility with Australian BioCommons, University of Queensland PhD candidate Jane Tung compared current annotation

Diverse physical processes played important roles in the origin of life. I will review the origin of molecular homochirality, the growth of protocell membranes, and potential roles for liquid-liquid phase separation. I will then discuss the concept of functional information and its quantitative relationship with molecular function.