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https://us02web.zoom.us/j/5881861923?omn=85945744831
Meeting ID: 588 186 1923

Topic description / abstract

Recent years have seen the growth of work illuminating the mechanical aspects of morphogenesis, but its relationship to the established ideas and evidence of developmental and evolutionary genetics remains unclear. This talk examines the conceptual relationship between mechanics and genetics in the context of animal morphogenesis. I propose a view in which ‘genetic programs’—understood as gene regulatory networks—and processes of physical self-organization are not conflicting models of development, but instead play necessary and complementary causal roles at cellular and supra-cellular length scales, respectively. On this basis, I describe differences in how mechanical versus genetic factors influence the evolvability of morphological traits.

Biographical note

James DiFrisco is a group leader and head of the theoretical biology lab at the Francis Crick Institute. Having trained in philosophy of science during his PhD, his research developed a focus on conceptual and theoretical issues in evolutionary-developmental biology and systems biology. He previously held postdoctoral positions at the Konrad Lorenz Institute (2015-2018) and KU Leuven (2018-2023) before joining the Crick in 2023. Current research interests include: comparative biology of vertebrate gastrulation, evolution of pleiotropy, body size and biophysical scaling, and evolutionary mechanobiology.