Patterns in Our Genomes: What Can They Tell Us about Evolution [F-22-20]

What can patterns in the DNA sequences of genomes tell us about an organism's evolutionary history? And can those patterns help us to predict how organisms might evolve into the future? Drawing from examples ranging from viruses (e.g. SARS-CoV-2) to humans, we will discuss current approaches used to analyze genome sequence data and what they can (and can't!) tell us about the past, present, and future evolution of the diversity of life in our world.

Susan Bailey is an Assistant Professor of Biology at Clarkson University, specializing in evolutionary biology and bioinformatics. She uses experiments with microbes, along with mathematical and statistical models of DNA sequences to explore fundamental questions about how evolution has shaped the diversity of life we see in the world around us.

Cap: 40