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SUMMARY:Stochastic Survival of the Densest and the Mitochondrial DNA Clona
 l Expansion in Ageing - Nick Jones (Imperial College London)
DTSTART:20231208T103000Z
DTEND:20231208T110000Z
UID:TALK208888@talks.cam.ac.uk
DESCRIPTION:Clonal spread of DNA mutations is a fundamental phenomenon in 
 both evolution and aging. High levels of mitochondrial DNA mutations are l
 inked to muscle weakness in aging\, which has a knock-on effect on overall
  health. For decades\, scientists have asked how mitochondrial DNA harbori
 ng deleterious mutations can expand in skeletal muscle fibers. We provide 
 evidence that this expansion could be driven by an unusual evolutionary me
 chanism\, requiring only noise (stochasticity)\, a higher density of mutan
 ts\, and a system with spatial structure. Critically\, mutants need not re
 plicate faster. This mechanism\, that we have termed stochastic survival o
 f the densest\, can yield traveling waves of mutants even when the mutants
  are selectively eliminated\, with potential applications in a range of ev
 olutionary models.
LOCATION:Seminar Room 1\, Newton Institute
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