The twin goals of the MSU Digital Evolution Laboratory are to experimentally study digital organisms to improve our understanding of how natural evolution works, and then to apply this knowledge to solving computational problems. Much of the work in the Devolab is centered on research with and the continued development of the Avida digital evolution research platform. In Avida, a population of self-replicating computer programs is subjected to external pressures (such as mutations and limited resources) and allowed to evolve subject to natural selection. ... [Information of the supplier, modified]
Mathematical and computational tools and concepts form an essential basis for modern evolutionary studies. The rise of sound statistical and combinatorial approaches in evolutionary and genome biology has offered considerable improvements beyond the original ad hoc approaches, providing new methods and algorithms to handle ever-growing data sets. Such advances require an increasingly sophisticated mathematical treatment of the problems at hand and the reliance on faster algorithms and computers in order to answer important biological questions. The theme of this year’s edition will be "New Data, New Questions, New Methods". New generation sequencing techniques have multiplied not just the amount, but also the types of genetic data produced (e.g. RNA-seq, single-cell sequencing, ChIP-seq, Hi-C, ancient DNA, RAD-seq…), giving rise to new questions, and new methodologies to answer them. These methodologies are often cross-disciplinary, with applications to diverse research topics such as gene expression, cancer, development, genome evolution, epigenetics. General concepts, models, methods and algorithms will be presented and discussed, just as during the previous conference editions. To present the recent advances in the field and discuss open questions and problems, the meeting will bring together researchers originating from various disciplines: mathematics, computer science, phylogenetics and population genetics. Keynote speakers will introduce a field of research and discuss their own work in this field (see below). Afternoon will be for short presentations and posters, with plenty of time for discussions. We will stop early every day, thus leaving time for other activities, such as hiking, snorkeling or simply lying on the beach. The number of attendees will be limited, so as to favor small group interaction. ... [Information of the supplier]
