Research
Research
We are interested in the evolution and evolvability of biological systems on all levels of biological organization.
On the lowest level of biological organization, we are studying the evolution of genes and genomes. One area of interest is evolution by gene duplication. Do gene duplications merely cause a passive expansion of genome size, are they an engine of innovation, or a source of robustness against mutations? Another focus is the evolution of transposable elements. Are they really only parasites inside cells, the ultimate selfish genes, or do they provide benefits to their hosts? Last but not least, we also study the influence of natural selection on the evolution of human genes, and the evolution of gene expression.
On an intermediate level of biological organization, we are interested in genetic networks and their evolution. Molecular biology explores the minutiae of a machinery of daunting complexity. Organismal biology, on the other hand, is far removed from this machinery. In between, a huge gap exists in our knowledge. One of our goals is to help fill this gap. To do so, we study genetic and metabolic networks. These networks form bridges between genes and organisms, connecting molecules to whole organisms and their survival. How did these networks evolve? What enables them to deal with different environments? Are they robust to genetic change? If so, did this robustness evolve by natural selection? How do evolutionary innovations occur in such networks? These are some of the questions we ask.
On the highest level of biological organization, we ask how whole organisms and communities of organisms interact with their parts. How do the mechanics of living tissues constrain the development of organisms? Are communities of organisms largely random assemblages or does natural selection shape their parts? The approaches we took in the past to answer these questions ranged from experimental work in molecular and developmental biology to bioinformatics analysis and mathematical modeling. Increasingly, we now take advantage of a torrent of data in structural genomics, functional genomics, and structural biology to answer these questions. To this end, we also develop a variety of bioinformatics tools.
Our lab is part of the large and active Zurich research communities in evolutionary biology and computational biology.
We are members of the Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics. 