Dr. Hoekstra is an evolutionary geneticist who studies the molecular basis of adaptation in wild deer mice. Her work spans the fields of evolution, behavior, morphology, genetics, genomics, development, and neurobiology. Her first major work focused on the genetic basis of cryptic coloration in wild mice, but more recently her lab has extended this work to study the genetic and neural basis of natural behaviors.
Understanding which genes affect behavior, and how the resultant proteins work in the brain, remains a major challenge in biology. To address this goal, Dr. Hoekstra's lab is capitalizing on natural variation in behavior within and among species of wild mice. For her lecture, Dr. Hoekstra will focus on an innate behavior, burrowing, which produces an intriguing and complex animal architecture. She will present data from both the lab and the field that allow us a first glimpse into the genetics and neurobiology of behavioral evolution.
Digging for genes that contribute to behavioral evolution / Hopi Hoekstra.
Author:
Hoekstra, Danielle E. National Institutes of Health (U.S.),
Publisher:
Abstract:
(CIT): NIH Director's Wednesday Afternoon Lecture Series. Dr. Hoekstra is an evolutionary geneticist who studies the molecular basis of adaptation in wild deer mice. Her work spans the fields of evolution, behavior, morphology, genetics, genomics, development, and neurobiology. Her first major work focused on the genetic basis of cryptic coloration in wild mice, but more recently her lab has extended this work to study the genetic and neural basis of natural behaviors. Understanding which genes affect behavior, and how the resultant proteins work in the brain, remains a major challenge in biology. To address this goal, Dr. Hoekstra's lab is capitalizing on natural variation in behavior within and among species of wild mice. For her lecture, Dr. Hoekstra will focus on an innate behavior, burrowing, which produces an intriguing and complex animal architecture. She will present data from both the lab and the field that allow us a first glimpse into the genetics and neurobiology of behavioral evolution.
