Principles of Evolutionary Overdesign and Underperformance

Explore a distinguished lecture on the principles of evolutionary overdesign and underperformance delivered by Michael Lynch, Regents Professor and Director of the Biodesign Center for Mechanisms of Evolution at Arizona State University. Delve into the complex interplay between natural selection, random genetic drift, and mutation bias in shaping biodiversity at molecular and cellular levels. Examine how traits scale with cell and organism size, challenging traditional optimization theories. Investigate the drift-barrier hypothesis and its implications for the evolution of complex and less efficient phenotypes in eukaryotes. Gain insights into the emerging field of evolutionary cell biology, which integrates population genetics, biophysics, and biochemistry. Learn about Lynch's extensive research on genetic mechanisms of evolution, including replication error rates, genome duplication consequences, and global patterns of genomic diversity in various organisms.