Population genetics in vertebrates : from mutation to speciation

Population genetics - the study of hereditary differences between individuals or species and the processes that have shaped them - is a field of biology more than a century old, which has undergone a recent revival with the arrival of millions of genetic sequences, particularly (but not only) human. The lecture looked at this transformation of the field, describing how mathematical theories of population genetics, some dating back almost a century, are now being used and extended to enable the interpretation of genomic megadata. We focused in particular on the processes behind genetic variation - mutation and recombination - and on human biological adaptation. We also discussed the tools and approaches of population genetics, which are increasingly used in human genetics research.

Chair created with the support of the Bettencourt Schueller Foundation