piRNA partners binding to a chromosome from http://www.biopps.com/index.php?topic=Genomic&page=4 and D. virilis sperm from http://www.nikonsmallworld.com/gallery/year/2001/13

Tomorrow’s EEB seminar will feature talks from two current PhD students.  Jeffrey Vedanayagam from the Garrigan Lab will kick things off with a talk titled “Evolutionary genomics of piRNA mediated transposon silencing in Drosophila.”  Yasir Ahmed from the Orr Lab will follow with a talk on “The genetics of postmating, prezygotic reproductive isolation in the virilis group of Drosophila.”

This Friday at 3PM, Bruce MacFadden will be giving a joint EEB/EES seminar about “Miocene Mammals from Panama: Tropical Refugium or Cradle of Biodiversity?”  MacFadden is an expert on “paleobiology, macroevolution, and paleoecology of Neogene mammals (particularly herbivores) of the Americas.”  His diverse research efforts have produced important insights on the biotic impacts of global climate change (DeSantis et al. 2009), discovery and description of new fossil taxa (MacFadden 2009), and a high profile review of the evolutionary history of iconic fossil horses (MacFadden 2005).

A phylogeny from the Pritham Lab's recent Gene paper on the distribution of Helitrons in vesper bats.

Ellen Pritham of UT Arlington will be here on Monday to present her work on the evolution of the genome and transposable elements.  Her talk on “Genetic plasticity, selfish DNA and the dynamic genome” will be at noon in Hutch 473.

Dan Scantlebury will be talking about his work on dwarf geckos at tomorrow’s EEB seminar.  The title of his talk is “Radiation under your nose: a comparative analysis of adaptive radiation in West Indian Sphaerodactylus geckos.”

This Friday at 3PM Michael Clark will be talking about “Population and chromosomal dynamics of a lateral gene transfer in Drosophila ananassae“