Wed 12.00-13.30, Fri 11-11.45, Conference Room Theoretical Physics

Start: Wednesday, April 6

Natural selection is an important factor in biological evolution. This is expressed in the famous Darwinian principle of survival of the fittest. According to this principle, populations should evolve towards a peak of a fitness landscape. However, selection competes with stochastic evolutionary forces, such as mutations, recombination, and reproductive fluctuations (genetic drift). Moreover, selection itself is often time-dependent and sometimes stochastic: fitness becomes a dynamic seascape rather than a static landscape. Stochastic forces drive populations away from fitness peaks - but where do they end up? In this course, we discuss the statistical mechanics of molecular evolution - within and away from equilibrium. We will emphasize recent theoretical developments, as well as applications to evolution experiments and genomic data.

Credits: 6CP or 8CP (with optional student's seminar talk)

Course level: Master

Course classification: Area of emphasis "Statistical and Biological Physics"