Polygenic Adaptation - Lecture 1

Explore the fundamental concepts of polygenic adaptation in this lecture by Nick Barton, part of the "Theoretical and Empirical Approaches to Understand Polygenic Adaptation" program at the International Centre for Theoretical Sciences. Delve into the complex world of phenotypic variation and its relationship to underlying genetic variation, a central problem in biological evolution. Discover how recent insights have revealed that many phenotypic traits, from crop yield and human height to complex diseases, are influenced by a large number of genetic variants. Examine the current state of evolutionary biology, which is dominated by two extreme views of adaptive dynamics, and learn how this program aims to integrate these ideas into a single framework. Gain valuable knowledge on quantitative evolutionary biology, with a focus on polygenic adaptation and evolutionary and quantitative genetics. Suitable for PhD students and postdocs interested in these topics, this lecture is part of a comprehensive program featuring pedagogical lectures, research seminars, and dedicated tutorial and discussion sessions.