![]() Peter Yunker
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Soft matter physics of the evolution of multicellularityFriday, March 17, 2023 The evolution of multicellularity was transformative for life on Earth, lifting a fundamental limit on organismal complexity. Underlying their success is the ability of multicellular organisms to assemble macro-scale structures with novel functions. However, major gaps in our knowledge about the origin of multicellular organisms persist, largely because multicellularity evolved in the deep past. We circumvent this limitation by evolving multicellularity de novo in the laboratory, using long-term experimental evolution to examine the evolution of complex life. Fundamentally, this research is focused on understanding how clumps of cells evolve into integrated organisms, blending physical and evolutionary insight to understand multicellular organisms as Darwinian materials. Cells live in groups that are mechanically, topologically, geometrically, and functionally constrained by physical interactions, all of which is filtered and amplified by the lens of Darwinian evolution. The central theme of our work is that the evolution of multicellular organisms cannot be understood without considering its physics. |
![]() Moumita Das
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Friday, April 14, 2023 |
![]() Nickolay V Lavrik
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Rational design and nanofabrication of deterministically patterned SERS active structuresFriday, April 28, 2023 |
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Seminar series sponsored by: Augusta University Research Institute, College of Science and Mathematics, Department of Chemistry and Physics