B. Bradley — Nov. 28

 Evolutionary Genetics of the Senses

A public lecture by Dr. Brenda Bradley (Yale)
Time: November 28, 2011 at Noon
Location: Student Activity Center 5.118

The image for this poster is composed of elements from a 1989 photograph of a Mentawai family in the village of Matatonan on the island of Siberut off the west coast of Sumatra by Vancouver-based photographer Gordon Brent Ingram.

Abstract: The letter code of the human genome is 98.8% identical to that of the chimpanzee. Initial studies comparing these genomes found that many of the genes at which humans and chimpanzees show interesting differences are genes involved in sensory perception.  Thus, the evolutionary biology of our senses is an important aspect of our ‘genetic uniqueness’.  Research in my lab examines genetic diversity within and across primate species focusing, in part, on the genetics of sensory ecology.  In this talk, I will try to provide a general overview of current research on the evolutionary genetics of primate sensory ecology, while highlighting some on-going projects in my lab on primate color vision and taste perception.

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