What changes to viral genomes would allow them to infect new species? And, what are the natural processes – mutation, recombination, and natural selection – that permit their evolution? The Meyer Lab uses experimental evolution of viruses to find answers to these questions using a combination of methods from many fields of biology. For a complete explanation of Meyer's research and a...
Past PMB Seminars
For a schedule of all Plant & Microbial Biology events, seminars, and lectures visit our calendar.
Doris Wagner: (Re)programming of cell identity and function in the context of chromatin
Wagner, who earned her Ph.D. at UC Berkeley, is involved in research regarding the transcriptional regulation of developmental transitions and role of chromatin remodeling in development. The Wagner Lab is interested in understanding, at the molecular level, the complex changes that occur when an organism switches developmental programs. Specifically, they investigate the transition from...
Kent Lightfoot: Archaeological Perspectives on Fire and People: From Ancient Neanderthals to Contemporary California
This event brings together archaeologists from UC Berkeley’s Archaeological Research Facility and the US Forest Service in a panel discussion exploring what we might learn from humanity's long experience with fire.
Ludmilla Aristilde: Nutrient-Dependent Carbon Metabolism in Pseudomonas species and Implications in Biotechnology
Ludmilla Aristilde joined the faculty in the Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering in the Fall of 2012. While growing up in Haiti, her interest in environmental issues was sparked by witnessing the impacts of deforestation on the environment and the links between water pollution and health during an epidemic outbreak of cholera. The goal of the Aristilde Group is to contribute to...
AJ White: After Cahokia: Indigenous Repopulation and Depopulation of the Horseshoe Lake Watershed 1400 – 1900 CE
This study presents demographic trends from a fecal stanol population reconstruction of Horseshoe Lake, Illinois along with information from archaeological, historical, and environmental sources to provide an interpretation of post-Cahokia (> 1400 CE) population change.
Center for Computational Biology Seminar
Title: Two-phase differential expression analysis for single cell RNA-seq Abstract: Single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) has brought the study of the transcriptome to higher resolution and makes it possible for scientists to provide answers with more clarity to the question of ‘differential expression’. Specifically, it allows us to observe binary (On/Off) as well as continuous (the amount...
Luca Comai: Good and evil of genome instability
The Comai lab studies genetics and function of plant chromosomes, and are interested in mechanisms through which plants attain genome stability and in their manipulation for efficient genome engineering.
Dan Kammen: Data and sustainability science and practice
The energy-information nexus has become a key tool and research area in efforts aimed at decarbonizing energy systems, enabling and operating the 'smart grid', which I will argue encompasses the utility-scale system, mini-grids, and off-grid energy systems. In this talk we will review a range of theoretical models and practical tools where data science, machine learning, and human-machine...
Stuart Russell: Science Lecture - Artificial Intelligence and the long-term future of humanity
The news media in recent years have been full of dire warnings about the risk that AI poses to the human race, coming from well-known figures such as Stephen Hawking and Elon Musk. Should we be concerned? If so, what can we do about it? While some in the mainstream AI community dismiss these concerns, Professor Russell will argue instead that a fundamental reorientation of the field is required...