Young and old genes in the human genome

Information reference: Konstantin Popadin

On December 6, Konstantin Popadyin, a biologist and researcher at the Institute of Information Transmission Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences, will speak as part of the Festival of Public Lectures #KNOW. The topic of the lecture is "Young and old genes in the human genome".

Konstantin Popadyin is a Candidate of Biological Sciences, a researcher at the Institute of Information Transmission Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences, a researcher at the Department of Medical Genetics and Development of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Geneva (Switzerland).

Photo: Natasha Chetverikova/polit.ru

He graduated from the Chemical and Biological School, the Department of Invertebrate Zoology at the Faculty of Biology of Lomonosov Moscow State University, at the Department of General Ecology in 2004 he defended his PhD thesis on: "Evolution of asexual lines: ecological and genetic mechanisms of origin and maintenance". Until 2007, he worked as a researcher at the Department of Genetics of the MSU Biofac, then moved to the Bioinformatics Training and Research Center at the IPPI RAS.

He is interested in a wide range of evolutionary issues: evolutionary genetics, the evolution of sexual reproduction, purifying selection, the evolution of the life cycle. He often turns to game theory in his research.

3 facts about Konstantin Popadin:Highly appreciated in one of the essays of his supervisor, Professor of Moscow State University, zoologist, biologist Alexei Gilyarov.

• He believes that thanks to him he defended his PhD thesis. The chairman of the council said that he did not understand anything from the report of the graduate student Popadin, did not understand where ecology is present in it: "But if there is Gilyarov, then there is ecology, and a good ecology. So the only thing that remains from my complaints, perhaps, is that I didn't understand anything."
• The articles deal with the problems of natural selection, the choice of a partner, the production and upbringing of offspring.
• I painted one working day from the life of a bioinformatician. It starts at night: to begin with, the proof of the facts is simpler, "to impress the girls", listing the differences in the genes of humans and chimpanzees. Then more complicated: harmful mutations, comparison of genomes of different nationalities. After Popadin describes the sensations of the bioinformatician's nocturnal existence, his thoughts turning to sleep closer to the morning.

3 facts about bioinformatics:The term "bioinformatics" was introduced in 1970 by the Dutch theoretical biologist Pauline Hoogeweg, who defined it as the study of information processes in biotic systems.

• This definition parallels bioinformatics with biophysics (the study of physical processes in biological systems) or with biochemistry (the study of chemical processes in biological systems).
• The use of bioinformatics in medicine has been growing exponentially in recent years. This is largely due to the reduction in the cost of sequencing (determining the sequence of the structure of DNA and RNA) of the genome. This leads to the formation of personalized diagnostics and treatments that can be specially designed taking into account the characteristics of each individual's DNA.
• Presumably, by 2020, it will be commonplace to determine the genome of a criminal by the traces left by him at the crime scene, without delivering samples to the laboratory. Doctors and other specialists working even in Third World countries will be able to determine by sequencing which pathogens live in the water, what the locals are sick with, etc.By the end of the second decade of the XXI century, tens of millions of human genomes are expected to be decoded and compiled into a worldwide database.

On December 6, within the framework of the Festival of Public Lectures #KNOW, Konstantin Popadyin will devote his lecture to the topic: "Young and old genes in the human genome". The scientist will talk about the specifics of the "lifestyle" and "occupations" of various parts of the genome.

The event will take place at the MUSEUM OF MOSCOW at the address: Zubovsky Boulevard, 2. On the territory of the MUSEUM there are buffets, exhibitions are open. Admission is free, the number of seats is limited. Pre-registration on the website "Polit.<url>" and in social media accounts: Facebook, Twitter, LiveJournal, VKontakte.

The lecture starts at 19:00.

Information sponsors are the Echo of Moscow radio station, Dilettante magazine, Kommersant FM radio station and the Troitsky Variant – Nauka newspaper.

Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru01.12.2014