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SUMMARY:Evolution From Malaria to Manuscripts - Professor Chris Howe\, Dep
 artment of Biochemistry
DTSTART:20090203T200000Z
DTEND:20090203T210000Z
UID:TALK16653@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:9337
DESCRIPTION:DNA replication is accurate\, but not completely so\, and the 
 accumulation of changes in DNA sequences can be used to work out the evolu
 tionary relationships between different groups of organisms. I am particul
 arly interested in using this approach to understand the evolution of plan
 t chloroplasts from symbiotic photosynthetic bacteria over a billion years
  ago. Surprisingly\, some very important organisms\, such as the malaria p
 arasite\, turn out to have a photosynthetic ancestry\, which may be an "Ac
 hilles heel" we can exploit in developing antimalarial agents. DNA is not 
 the only thing that replicates in an error-prone way. In the days before p
 rinting\, scribes copied manuscripts by hand\, and changes accumulated in 
 texts just like mutations accumulating in DNA. The same programmes we use 
 for  studying DNA sequences can also be used for studying the relationship
 s between different versions of a manuscript text.
LOCATION:Pharmacology Lecture Theatre\, Tennis Court Road (www.scisoc.com 
 for directions)
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