Evolutionary genetics and thermodynamics
Evolutionary genetics and thermodynamics
- Event time: 1:00pm
- Event date: 7th August 2006
- Speaker: Neelofer Banglawala (Formerly School of Physics & Astronomy, University of Edinburgh)
- Location: Room 2511, James Clerk Maxwell Building (JCMB) James Clerk Maxwell Building Peter Guthrie Tait Road Edinburgh EH9 3FD GB
Event details
Weight, height, eye colour or furriness are examples of traits that characterise the physical properties of an organism. Gene expression aims to understand the relationship between these traits and the underlying genetic code. Statistical physics characterises a system of microstates through certain macroscopic variables, energy, temperature etc. With a handful of assumptions a configuration of genes may be regarded as the microstates of macroscopic traits. In this talk, we will show that for a simple model of haploid organisms with biallelic genes, the steady state distribution of a particular, well defined trait is mathematically analogous to the Canonical Boltzmann distribution in statistical physics.
About Condensed Matter lunchtime seminars
This is a weekly series of informal talks given primarily by members of the institute of condensed matter and complex systems, but is also open to members of other groups and external visitors. The aim of the series is to promote discussion and learning of various topics at a level suitable to the broad background of the group. Everyone is welcome to attend..