Lässig
research
group
Statistical Physics and Quantitative Biology
University of Cologne
Quantitative Evolutionary Biology
K. Hofmann, M. Lässig, T. Wiehe
Summer Semester 2013
Summer Semester 2013
This course offers an introduction to modern evolutionary biology, suitable for physicists and biologists with an interest in quantitative modeling. Starting with an introduction to modern population genetics, genomics, and molecular biology of proteins, the course will lead to contemporary research topics in molecular evolution. These processes cover a wide range of time scales, ranging from functional conservation of key proteins over hundreds of millions of years to rapid adaptation of pathogens over periods of months. We will present an integrative view bridging between genome evolution and the evolution of protein structure and function, and we will discuss statistical methods to infer the role of natural selection in molecular evolutionary processes.
- 11.4. Fundamentals of statistical genetics I: selection and mutations
- 18.4. Fundamentals of statistical genetics II: genetic drift and recombination
- 25.4. Proteins I: Structure
- 02.5. Proteins II: Evolution
- 16.5. Conservation and adaptation in protein evolution
- 06.6. Inference of selection I: Single-nucleotide polymorphisms
- 13.6. Coalescent theory of neutral and adaptive processes
- 20.6. Inference of selection II: Haplotype-based methods
- 27.6. Function and evolution of a core protein: p53
- 04.7. Macro-evolution of proteins
- 11.7. De-novo gene evolution
- 18.7. Host-pathogen co-evolution
Course level: Master
Course classification and credits: For physics students: area of emphasis "Statistical and Biological Physics" (6CP/8CP with student presentation). For biology students: creditable in the areas "Bioinformatics" or "Genetics" (4CP/6CP with student presentation).
back