Genomes and inheritance

Problems in this collection

12 problems

Genome size evolution

Closely related organisms can carry very different amounts of DNA. What determines how genomes expand or shrink?

Mitochondrial DNA bottleneck

A mother’s mix of mitochondrial DNA variants can change sharply between generations. What physical sampling process drives that change?

Mammalian replication origins

Mammalian DNA replication can begin at many licensed sites. What determines which sites actually start copying in a given cell?

Genetic architecture of complex traits

Thousands of genetic variants can contribute to a trait, yet finding an association does not reveal how those variants work together to produce it.

Mitochondrial gene retention

Mitochondria keep some genes while many others reside in the nucleus. Why do different lineages retain different sets?

Meiotic homologue recognition

During egg formation in fruit flies, matching chromosomes must find one another. How do repeated DNA sequences help them recognize a match?

Segregation Distorter mechanism

A selfish chromosome in fruit flies disables competing sperm. How does its genetic machinery cause that selective failure?

Polyploid establishment

A plant with extra chromosome sets may have few compatible mates. Which conditions let a new polyploid population persist?

Speciation with gene flow

New species can diverge while exchanging genes. How do reproductive barriers combine to sustain separation?

Oxytricha genome rearrangement

Oxytricha rebuilds its working genome from scrambled DNA segments. How do RNA instructions become correctly ordered DNA joins?

De novo gene birth

New protein-coding genes can arise from DNA that did not previously encode a protein. Which ones become useful and persist through evolution?

RNA silencing inheritance duration

A worm can stop making a fluorescent protein, and its descendants can remain dark after the original trigger is gone. What determines when the inherited silencing ends?

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