Lecture

Exploring Evolution: Molecular Evidence and Mechanisms

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In course

CH-210: Biochemistry

Les constituants biochimiques de l'organisme, protéines, glucides, lipides, à la lumière de l'évolution des concepts et des progrès en biologie moléculaire et génétique, sont étudiés. ...

Description

This lecture delves into the exploration of evolution through molecular evidence, mechanisms, and the evolution of proteins. Topics covered include phylogenetic trees, DNA-protein comparisons, and molecular evolution in test tubes. The instructor discusses the evidence of evolution, the evolution mechanism, and the role of enzymes in catalyzing reactions. The lecture also touches on the Nobel Prize in Chemistry awarded in 2018 for work on molecular evolution. Examples of molecular evolution experiments and the comparison of proteins like hemoglobin and myoglobin are presented to illustrate evolutionary concepts.

Instructor

Christian Heinis

Teaching & PhD PhD Students Thomas Julien Denis Emel, Alessandro Scapozza, Nathan Moïse De Sadeleer, Florian Handel, Hugo André Clerc, Frédéric Brantschen, Grégoire Menoud, Ines Michrafy, Jonathan Schmitt, Laura Elena Massaad Past EPFL PhD Students Jeremy Touati, Shiyu Chen, Sophie Venet-Bonnot, Lisa Pollaro, Inmaculada Rentero Rebollo, Philippe Diderich, Charlotte Urech-Varenne, Silvia Bellotto, Davide Bertoldo, Alessandro Zorzi, Camille Villequey, Jonas Alfred Karl Wilbs, Grigory Karateev, Vanessa Carle

Official source

Ontological neighbourhood

Biology

Zoology: Topics in zoology

Genetics: Population genetics

Related concepts (32)

Evolution

In biology, evolution is the change in heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. Evolution occurs when evolutionary processes such as natural selection (including sexual selection) and genetic drift act on genetic variation, resulting in certain characteristics becoming more or less common within a population over successive generations. The process of evolution has given rise to biodiversity at every level of biological organisation.

Evolution as fact and theory

Many scientists and philosophers of science have described evolution as fact and theory, a phrase which was used as the title of an article by paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould in 1981. He describes fact in science as meaning data, not known with absolute certainty but "confirmed to such a degree that it would be perverse to withhold provisional assent". A scientific theory is a well-substantiated explanation of such facts.

Objections to evolution

Objections to evolution have been raised since evolutionary ideas came to prominence in the 19th century. When Charles Darwin published his 1859 book On the Origin of Species, his theory of evolution (the idea that species arose through descent with modification from a single common ancestor in a process driven by natural selection) initially met opposition from scientists with different theories, but eventually came to receive overwhelming acceptance in the scientific community.

Molecular phylogenetics

Molecular phylogenetics (məˈlɛkjᵿlər_ˌfaɪloʊdʒəˈnɛtɪks,_mɒ-,_moʊ-) is the branch of phylogeny that analyzes genetic, hereditary molecular differences, predominantly in DNA sequences, to gain information on an organism's evolutionary relationships. From these analyses, it is possible to determine the processes by which diversity among species has been achieved. The result of a molecular phylogenetic analysis is expressed in a phylogenetic tree.

Phylogenetics

In biology, phylogenetics (ˌfaɪloʊdʒəˈnɛtɪks,_-lə-) is the study of the evolutionary history and relationships among or within groups of organisms. These relationships are determined by phylogenetic inference methods that focus on observed heritable traits, such as DNA sequences, protein amino acid sequences, or morphology. The result of such an analysis is a phylogenetic tree—a diagram containing a hypothesis of relationships that reflects the evolutionary history of a group of organisms.

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