Evolutionary stories

Mara Lawniczak | Object | Genomic Expressions

Seashells

Mara Lawniczak | Group Leader

Scattered across our genomes are the little variations that make us unique. Richard Dawkins encourages us to imagine small changes of a shell’s shape and create in our mind’s eye a museum of all possible shells. This is a glimpse into the endless shapes just one object could take. Genomics makes it possible to explore the variation that underlies so many of the differences we can observe. This variation within a population is the stuff that natural selection acts on, and it is this process, among others, that leads to the formation of new species. This small collection is only an infinitesimal example of the diversity both within and between species. Genomics makes it possible to explore these differences and to begin to put together their evolutionary stories.