Life: A History of Mergers - Exploring Symbiosis and Evolution

Embark on a captivating journey through the intricate evolutionary history of life on Earth in this 53-minute talk by Professor James McInerney. Explore the crucial role of symbiosis, horizontal gene transfer, and the merging of evolving objects in shaping the living world. Challenge traditional views of evolution as a purely tree-like process and discover a compelling narrative of partnerships and integrations at the genomic level. Delve into the cycles of divergence and merging from the origins of life to the formation of eukaryotes, and examine the complex conflicts, cooperations, and compromises between genes in pangenomes today. Gain insights into how cycles of mergers have driven the diversification of life and understand the collaborative genomic ventures central to evolution on our planet. This talk, presented by the renowned Irish-born evolutionary biologist and Head of the Department of Evolution, Ecology and Behaviour at the University of Liverpool, offers a fascinating perspective for anyone interested in life's intricate network and evolutionary processes.