鈥淗ow did life get to be so complicated?鈥� People from all walks of life ask that question every day. , a postdoctoral fellow at 黑料吃瓜资源 (CSHL), kicked off our latest Cocktails & Chromosomes talk with it. For Gitschlag, who studies evolutionary biology in CSHL鈥檚 McCandlish lab, the answer may lie in understanding how and why life is organized the way it is.
We all recognize that humans can coordinate for and against the common good. Gitschlag offers several other instances of community service and betrayal across the animal kingdom. For example, there鈥檚 a species of bird that shares nesting and parenting duties. And some will take advantage of this situation by dropping their eggs in another nest and flying off into the sunset. Now, for Gitschlag, here鈥檚 the kicker. Coordination also invites betrayal at the cellular level. So-called 鈥渟elfish鈥� mitochondrial DNA can exploit the body鈥檚 stress response, resulting in debilitating diseases.
Where does one find out about stuff like this? Well, on the last Thursday of each month, you can pick up such kernels of knowledge鈥攁nd discuss them with a professional scientist鈥攁t Ninnet & George鈥檚, formerly Industry, in Huntington, NY. Register now for our next Cocktails & Chromosomes talk featuring CSHL Professor Alea Mills, whose latest breakthrough may offer new hope in the fight against brain cancer.