 |
Spring Lecture Series at the Museum of Science:
The House That Darwin Built
 Darwin's theory of natural selection has transformed
our understanding of the living world, down to the smallest
molecules. Today, scientists use these theories to understand
a host of complex biological problems.
During the 2007 spring lecture series, "The
House That Darwin Built" at the Boston Museum of
Science, audience members learned how evolution drives our understanding
of human disease and development.
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
"Evolution as a Tool
Kit for Understanding Human Disease"
Harvey Lodish, Whitehead Member
[link to video and audio at WGBH]
Comprehensive studies of genes and proteins from many
organisms are giving us an extraordinary documentation
of the history of life. We share with other eukaryotes
(organisms with nucleated cells) thousands of individual
genes and proteins, all as a result of our shared evolutionary
history. I will provide several examples of how research
on “lower” organisms has provided insights
into, and facilitated development of therapies for,
several human diseases. Among them, studies on yeasts
and starfish provided profound insights into the process
by which cells “decide” to divide, and this
in turn has led to profound insights into aberrancies
in cell division during human cancers. Our own studies
on growing hematopoietic stem cells (the cells that
give rise to all red and white blood cells and immune
system cells) were done first in the mouse and then
extended into humans. All of these experiments and insights
are possible because all cells in all organisms have
a common evolutionary origin.
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
"An Unexpected Interface: Protein Folding Driving
Evolutionary Change"
Susan Lindquist, Whitehead Member
[link to video and audio at WGBH]
All proteins start out as long strings of amino acids.
Before a protein can function, it must fold into an
extremely precise, highly complex structure—a
difficult feat in the highly concentrated environment
of the cell. Protein folding is facilitated by helper
proteins called molecular chaperones. Our recent work
suggests that the forces that govern protein folding
exert a profound effect in determining how the genes
encoded by an organism’s DNA are translated into
phenotypic traits. The folding mechanisms of molecular
chaperone proteins can allow organisms to reveal accumulated-but-hidden
genetic variation in times of stress. This allows them
to evolve rapidly in response to new environmental conditions.
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
"The Evolution of Sex:
Rethinking the Y Chromosome"
David Page, Whitehead Director
[link to video and audio at WGBH]
Over the last few decades, the male-specific Y chromosome,
the runt of the genomic litter, has been diagnosed as
terminally ill. Some scientists declared that in another
10 million years or so the Y will be gone altogether,
taking males along with it. But the Y has proven far
more resilient than expected. Although it isn't paired
with another chromosome with which it can correct genetic
defects, we and our colleagues have found that the Y
has a unique and astonishing capacity to repair itself.
As we continue to analyze the Y chromosomes of humans
and other species, we are gaining deeper insights into
the Y's architectural beauty, evolutionary dynamism
and critical role in male infertility.
For more information, visit www.mos.org
or contact Amy Tremblay at tremblay@wi.mit.edu
or 617.258.7270.
Last updated January 9, 2008. |
|
