Nerd Nite#6 - Junk in the Trunk

This event is sponsored by the organization Nerd Nite Portland not by PDX S.O.O.N. You can find Nerd Nite Portland on MeetUp, on Facebook and at http://portland.nerdnite.com/

Nerd Nite is a monthly event that strives for an inebriated, salacious, yet deeply academic vibe. We aim to entertain, educate, elucidate, enlighten, and other things that start with “e.” Come drink along with us!

Cost: $8.00 suggested cover at the door, or available for pre-sale (to make sure you get a seat)

This Nerd Nite will feature just one topic:

Junk in The Trunk: Recent Controversies in Genomics

You may have heard-- less than 2% of the human genome is comprised of protein-coding DNA. What is the 98% composed of, where does it come from, and what does it do? Sarah Schaack will take you on a guided tour through the genomic landscape of some fully sequenced plants and animals, including humans. Her talk will explore the recent heated debate among biologists surrounding "junk DNA", its utility (or lack thereof), and why bigger isn't necessarily better, at least when it comes to genome size.

Sarah Schaack, PhD, http://www.reed.edu/biology/professors/schaack.html is an assistant professor of biology doing research in the area of evolutionary genomics at Reed College.