© Pint of Science, 2024. All rights reserved.
We have thousands of genes that make us who we are, but did you know that these genes can change throughout evolution and even during our lifetime? Crick scientists study genomes to learn more about how our genes can change, and even move, throughout life, health and disease. Studying these changes helps us understand how evolution shapes who we are, and what goes wrong during diseases such as cancer.
Faulty genes in faulty cells: hunting for cancer mutations
Lisa Dressler
(PhD student)
Michele Bortolomeazzi
(PhD student)
Can we find the genetic needle in a DNA haystack? And how many needles are we even looking for? Discover how reading the code of life from tumour cells helps us understand the causes of cancer.
Genetic parasites and genome evolution
Jan Attig
(Postdoc)
Retrotransposons are genetic parasites that have hitched a ride in human DNA and become incorporated into our genomes over evolutionary time. Find out how researchers at the Crick study these footprints in the genome, and how Darwin’s ideas shape today’s understanding of genetic evolution.
Brain evolution on the fly
Lucia Prieto-Godino
(Group Leader)
Everything we do and all of our thoughts are controlled by our brains. But have you ever thought about how the brains of different animals vary, enabling them to see, smell, feel and behave in different ways? And how do brains change during evolution? Come and find out how scientists at the Crick are investigating this ultimate enigma!
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.