Statistics Seminar: Simon Ho -- Estimating evolutionary timescales using DNA

Simon Ho School of Biological Sciences The University of Sydney 

Location: Carslaw 273 

Time: 2pm Friday, April 27, 2012 

Title: Estimating evolutionary timescales using DNA 

Abstract: The estimation of evolutionary time-scales is pivotal to a wide range of
biological studies.  It allows us to place our analyses and interpretations into a
temporal context, and provides us with insights into rates of speciation, population
divergence, and other evolutionary processes.  Despite the apparent simplicity of the
“molecular clock”, estimating evolutionary time-scales from DNA is not a trivial
exercise.  A wide range of problems can affect the estimation process, including
calibration errors and rate variation among lineages.  Over the past decade, there have
been numerous developments in this field, allowing the molecular evolutionary process to
be modelled with increasing sophistication.  In addition, there are now various ways of
using information from the fossil record to calibrate the molecular clock.  In this
talk, I will provide a brief overview of the current state of the field.