For most evolutionary biologists, molecular evolution means “genes and proteins.” This narrow focus neglects the critical roles played by evolution of the systems of small solutes — organic osmolytes, inorganic ions and protons — that establish the “working environment” for macromolecules. Study of adaptive modification of the types and concentrations of “micromolecules” in biological fluids provides deep insights into evolutionary processes in the context of adaptation to extreme environments and into the physiological changes that promote homeostasis.
The Center for Evolution and Medicine Seminar Series features Lee Gettler, an assistant professor at the University of Notre Dame.
This Center for Evolution and Medicine Seminar Series features Caitlin Pepperell, an assistant professor of medicine and medical microbiology and immunology at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Her areas of study include pathogen evolution and the ecology of infectious diseases.
Human and non-human animals can be scared to death. This commonality points to a shared mechanism and evolutionary origin. The variability in vulnerability to this disorder between species offers a novel approach to identifying a natural animal model for Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD) – the leading cause of death among adults over 40 year of age in the United States. The importance and significant challenge of developing a phylogeny of vulnerability to SCD across the animal kingdom is presented.
Professor
Institute of Science and Technology, Austria
Disease defense in Insect Societies
Infectious disease can easily spread through the interaction networks of social hosts. Yet, the organizational immunity hypothesis proposes that social insect colonies are organized in a way to reduce disease transmission and thus the risk of epidemics in their colonies.
Professor of Asian Studies
Associate member, Depts of Philosophy and Psychology
Director, Database of Religious History
The University of British Columbia
Mind-Body Dualism in Early China: Implications for the Human and Cognitive Sciences
It is commonly claimed that mind-body dualism is entirely foreign to China—or “the East” more generally.
Instituto de Investigaciones Psicológicas
Universidad Veracruzana
Developmental plasticity and human reproductive function: The devil is in the details
Population-based studies have documented significant variation in reproductive maturation and function among diverse human groups in relation to the socio-ecological environments in which they live.
For over 50 years, signal detection theory (aka 'error management theory', the 'smoke detector principle', etc) has been related to behaviours including mate choice, habitat choice, immune function, predators choosing between models and mimics, the evolution of plant defences, and mental illnesses. I will show that the influential and intuitive predictions of the theory are highly misleading in many biological settings. When multiple decisio
Johann Friedrich Miescher Regents Professor in Molecular Biology
Department of Integrative Biology
Professor, Department of evolutionary biology and environmental studies
University of Zurich
Searching for a cancer-proof organism: it's the journey that teaches you about the destination
Despite an obvious focus of cancer as a medical phenomenon affecting human lifespan, cancer occurs across multicellular life.