Is a rapidly mutating virus unstoppable?
How can one hope to understand the precise structure of a virus if it is able to become unrecognizable within weeks? The mathematics behind this questions didn't let go of my mind for extensive periods of time during my PhD studies in Belgium.
The seed bank, a hidden storage of genetic diversity
On 18 November, Margriet Oomen obtained her PhD cum laude from the University of Leiden. Margriet did mathematical research into the influence of the seed bank on the genetic diversity of a population. In the press release of Leiden University, written by Dorine Schenk, we read: "Each year, poppies disperse seeds that grow into a new generation of […]
Networks to understand our DNA
![By Hennah, Porteous - [The DISC1 Pathway Modulates Expression of Neurodevelopmental, Synaptogenic and Sensory Perception Genes http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0004906], CC BY 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7681986](https://www.networkpages.nl/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Network_of_how_100_of_the_528_genes_identified_with_significant_differential_expression_relate_to_DISC1_and_its_core_interactors-1024x666.png)
One beautiful, extremely important hidden network is the network of gene interactions: our DNA contains tens of thousands of genes. Some of these are really important. If you don’t have even one of them, you can’t live.