Copy number variation and the secret of life - with Aoife McLysaght

Evolution is powered by variation: the differences in DNA sequences. One hugely important form of difference is copy number variation, where genes are duplicated or deleted from one generation to the next.
In this Ri event, Aoife McLysaght from Univeristy of Dublin explains how copy number variations gave us colour vision, a sense of smell and haemoglobin in our blood, before exploring the role they play in diseases such as cancer, autism and schizophrenia.
The event 'Too Much of a Good Thing' was presented at the Ri on Friday 28 March and forms part of the Ri's all-women line up for Friday Evening Discourses in 2014 as part of a year-long celebration of women in science.
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[@clairehiggins7120]

My daughter is homeschooled and will be watching this, there aren’t enough women in science and this simple explanation of a complex subject is something we need far more of, thank you. Great video.

[@eddie1975utube]

So nice to read your comment. Where I live in Alabama, 99% of home schooling parents would never show their kid such a video.

[@eliastouil7686]

Introduction 00:00 I will talk about evolutionary genetics 00:00 how evolution relates to the field of biology 03:50 What is a gene ? 07:43 DNA, duplicating genes 11:25 Evolution by gene duplication Examples of gene duplication 13:55 Human sense of smell 16:45 Evolution of colour vision 20:20 Globins What can we understand 26:40 Patterns of evolution 31:50 Why is there so much diversity (vertebrates/humans) 36:20 When gene duplication is problematic (pathology) 43:30 What to look for in DNA 48:15 Dosage sensitive genes

[@spook_dad]

please link to the smell your bum quote

[@allwinaugustine]

Good job elias!

[@chipparker3950]

A patently improvable statement. Amazing arrogance.

[@jamesdolan4042]

@@chipparker3950 I did not hear say anything about improvable adaptations just for the sake of it. She spoke of how olfactory genes in DNA duplicted and simultaneously changed ever so slightly to optimise survival for the species at that juncture in time. And conversely how these genes become redundant when optimizing survival does not need them. There was nothing arrogant about her iinformed and learned opinion. If you think differently I would appreciate you explaining it.

[@KipIngram]

You really don't need to waste time debunking creationism. The people that back it aren't listening anyway.

[@stephanieparker1250]

In case anyone is curious, her beautiful Irish name is pronounced “ee-fa”. 🥰

[@whirledpeas3477]

Cool 😎

[@kingalf4828]

I was literally just gonna look that up.. cheers

[@Duckfest]

Thanks. I don't recall ever seeing a name as Irish as hers. I love it. I also think Professor Aoife McLysaght would be an excellent name for a character in a fantasy novel.

[@dboots123]

Her name is the first reason I clicked for this video. Thanks for the info 🙏🏼

thanks !

[@edwardlee2794]

Charming with a purpose. Salute to The speaker and RI.

[@alidogramaci7468]

I am sending the link for this video to my granddaughters. Professor McLysaght is inspiring.

[@altareggo]

Truly an excellent presentation!!! Thank you so much for putting these online: its a great service and helps the general public understand complex matters by giving a lot of background material without anything overly technical.

[@mohammedalhuneini219]

Excellent presentation After minute 25:00 there is error in the Hb curve The fetal Hb (HbF) she is talking about is actually made of alpha/gamma not alpha/delta Otherwise a very wonderful talk

[@jasimine_b]

awesome on so many levels, no wonder she was exhausted in the end! i wish she'd make a whole lecture series of this with much more detail...

[@ambrosewanjala8843]

Seconded. Truly awesome

[@kristineinarsdottir7404]

Aoife McLysaght I really enjoyed this lecture. Your view on life is extraordinary!

[@shinywarm6906]

how to take an audience from the most basic explanation of DNA structure to cutting edge genomic science. Brava!

[@NicleT]

Excellent presentation, very insightful. Thank you Dr. McLysaght, and thanks to the Ri.

[@bpath60]

Thank you - Royal Institution- A detailed science talk without Equations ! Cheers !

[@BenjWarrant]

The Irish delightfully comes out more and more as she carries on speaking.

[@martinpollard8846]

I "tink" you're right

[@doronron7323]

Thanks for this breathless presentation by a confident and erudite young person. I've learned a lot here, by being captivated throughout.

[@AceofDlamonds]

"young"? She's a professor

[@thomasbriggs4718]

Young compared to me…

[@JR-ws8zy]

Best speaking / teaching voice I have ever heard - concise with perfect clarity and not a moment spent on searching for words. You can tell she put a tremendous amount of thought into every idea she conveys to help us come to a basic understanding of a very complex science. I'll have to watch this several times. There is so much valuable information here.

[@Insoo223]

Totally agree!

[@mathewalexander3664]

Truly brilliant! Thank you Dr. McLysaght and the RI for putting this online. Its really as lucid as it can be, and so vital to making the general public understand where we're at, in terms of advancement in this area and the possiblities. I've shared this lecture with many. Look forward to seeing more from Dr. McLysaght..

[@mattnewman5673]

Very informative . Thanks a lot Dr. McLysaght. I am not color blind about Genetics any longer.

[@rnnyhoff]

She is such a wonderful, engaging, and knowledgeable presenter of some complicated steps in the expansive, total effect of (short "e" ... I'm American) evolution on the science of life. Extraordinary!

[@heinpereboom5521]

A beautiful woman and wise words are not the same.

[@MMasterDE]

Good presentation. Thank you for sharing! :)

[@Sailright21]

Excellent! Copy number variation explained and explained beautifully!

[@eddie1975utube]

“Some Assembly Required” by Dr. Neil Shubin has a chapter on Gene duplication. I’m halfway through the book. Watching this lecture really helped further cement what I read. I highly recommend Dr. Shubin’s three books, in this order: Your inner Fish The Universe Within Some Assembly Required.

[@henriroggeman7267]

You've given us more than just a sense. Thank you for an excellent talk! :-)

[@paulodetarsoarrudacorreia6138]

Excellent presentation. Congratulations !

[@AquaTerraSys]

yes, exceptional presentation, so look forward to hearing more from Ms McLysaght in the future

[@shrikantkukreti7068]

What a Brilliant talk. So informative, simple and elegant. Congrats !!

[@boblenk]

Thank you, Aoife, for acknowledging Susumu Ohno. He is one of my heros!

[@hendrikhendrikson2941]

As always very interesting!

[@kavorka8855]

Even after so many years, still an incredibly informative lecture!

[@VvDOPAMEANvV]

Excellent subject and content!

[@alleneverhart4141]

One of the very best RI presentations. Love her accent - just slightly Irish and only ever really announces itself when she says 'tink' - fabulous.

[@talideon]

She sounds like a typical middle-class Dubliner. She _is_ contrasting _t_ and _th_ though: the _t_ is an alveolar stop while the _th_ is a dental stop.

[@yaseen157]

I love these presentations ;p

[@charlesdrury9712]

I have been obsessed with science since I was a little boy I do not have many friends because nobody likes science in my family and my friends think that I am showing off and I try to tell them I have no degrees I’m very humble I don’t consider myself smart but I can learn and I have been learning for a long time and she’s just another step on my letter of science I appreciate all her knowledge I have learned something today I just hope I remember I’m getting older sorry letter should be Latter

[@schmetterling4477]

You need to get help, too. ;-)

[@AleksandarKospenda]

Interesting. I´m learning biology for the first time and this ignited more interest for the subject.

[@Lloyd-lg6fx]

Outstanding lecture and brilliant summary of information with great use of comparisons and analogy! Thanks for sharing!!!

[@captainzork6109]

Alright, I've finished watching and I've come to the conclusion and I'm in love with the form of this presentation. This is great work. I'd love to learn more in-depth things about the genome now

[@LairdJ56]

have you learned more about the genome now? there are loads of amazing free resources to learn from... That is the reason God invented the internet.

[@williamgoode9114]

Yes Adam, plus the individual smart phones, and the instructions to care about ; climate,flora and fauna, via fires,floods & virus.

[@MacNif]

God = Internet ...whoa?

[@mihaliprefti2507]

How educational! Thank you, Professor!

[@arnoldleaf4521]

" too much of a good thing" was fab found it really informative ! Thanks

[@CreativeContention]

What a truly brilliant lecture.

[@dmitritobias]

her name. what a kickass name. sounds like it's destined for greatness. i bet when she tried to make an account and typed just her first name, google was like... yeah that's available.

[@RochelleM491]

This is one amazing, professional well produced video, I hope she has the time, energy and resources to creates many more videos like this which I really appreciate..!

[@framethis]

Absolutely brilliant information and delivery .Her pronounceiation is perfect ..which makes it easier to learn .

[@matthewfeeley6226]

Really enjoyed the performance, thankyou for sharing your knowledge and skill it was great to learn so much about standing up and delivering a complicated topic. Thankyou so much.

[@nycbearff]

This is an excellent lecture, well presented and clear. Thanks, Dr. McLysaght! Thanks, Royal Institution!

[@christosnyman6386]

So well presented! Great talk!!

[@infocentrousmajac]

Beautifully explained and very engaging talk.

[@SONofaGoddess]

Take a breath.. you nailed it! 👌🏽

[@miTTTir]

This talk showed me something which was hiding in the plain sight right in front of my nose. Awesome presentation. Fascinating research.

[@gnagyusa]

Brilliant presentation. I learned a lot.

[@mammaliandischarger]

Simplicity and beauty is evolutionary. The presence of this curious beauty is wonderful. Thank you

[@ftumschk]

17:44 "Rhodopsin" doesn't derive from "rod" -opsin, but from the Greek word for pink ("rhodon"), because of its colour. (Just for info, and not a criticism.)

[@coolworx]

Rhododendron!

[@rolfw2336]

This was a great talk. I never knew about the 4X event in human evolution. Thank you Dr. M!

[@ebrewste]

Some people really have a gift for presenting. She is incredible. There is some interesting cross pollination of ideas that adds something to what is more traditional material I have seen on the subject.

[@johncourt9580]

Hi Aoife, a beautiful and captivating lecture, of a highly complex subject, made so watchable by your excellent delivery and style.

[@robertstephens4185]

I am a biology teacher. This was truly enjoyable!

[@heinpereboom5521]

So what did she really say about the beginning of life? I only heard what happened after that beginning.

[@jamesdolan4042]

@@heinpereboom5521 She said that the simple DNA molecule is already present in the fertilized egg, and that the DNA does not change throughout the life of the organism. Her presentation is not about the biology of reproduction or the origon of life that occurred eons ago.

[@heinpereboom5521]

@@jamesdolan4042 In this way all evolutionists speak, they never talk about the beginning, because they can never explain that, because it is fantasy and belief. Her whole presentation suggests that evolution is correct and that is very unbelievable to me if you always skip the beginning of it. That's what I meant.

[@jamesdolan4042]

@@heinpereboom5521 Since you put it that way can you provide me with undeniable, verifiable, singular, proof how life as we know began?

[@heinpereboom5521]

@@jamesdolan4042Of course not, so nobody can, I thought you understood that. So if you believe in a creator, that is a belief and that also proves nothing. At least believers say they have a belief and evolutionists say they have a science and that is just nonsense, they too have a belief in their own idea no more than that. So very unscientific. When scientists deal with this sort of thing, it's pseudo science. Moreover, science may not exclude anything, that is a prejudice, so not scientific. Even a scientist cannot rule out the possibility that there is a creator, even if this can never be proven.

[@akritino7437]

I love your presentation ! It's amazing !

[@Necromycin]

Beautifully explained

[@robotaholic]

I loved this lecture

[@RalphDratman]

This is great. Thank you Aoife McLysaght.

[@aoifemclysaght3586]

Thank you :-)

[@RalphDratman]

Aoife McLysaght You explain things clearly, you look good and you sound great. I would like to watch any other lectures you might have online. If you don't have any other videos online yet, perhaps you would consider making some? You don't need anything more than an iPhone, iPad or Android device to accomplish that. Having a helper to hold the camera makes things easier, but that is optional. You can do an entire video by yourself.

[@tantiwahopak101]

@The Truth of the Matter yes. She is real. Check it out.

[@tantiwahopak101]

@The Truth of the Matter wow so this is ur reason for her to not being real? Not all people are famous u know that right?

[@EricDittmarrice]

@@aoifemclysaght3586 Thank you. Stay gold!

[@Anza_34832]

Not being an expert in the field of biology, this lecture was a real eye opener!

[@heinpereboom5521]

Maybe that's why?

[@DaytakTV]

Absolutely brilliant! :)

[@peters972]

Thank you! A beautiful presentation.

[@Nicho2020]

Excellent! I wish I had seen this lecture years ago. Very informative, and a very good style of presentation. Let's see if there's more from Aoife McLysaght.

[@anteconfig5391]

This is something I needed to know. I have this idea to make special neural networks that evolve.(Not a new idea but mine is an improvement). I was wondering how genomes get longer over time and I'm pretty sure I found the answer in gene duplication. I also think it solves other problems I predicted, I can't remember. I just had it on the tip of my brain but I lost it.

[@peterdriscoll4070]

Fascinating talk. Just awesome.

[@zacoolm]

Amazing lecture, thank YOU!

[@lennymartin4693]

I love super smart women

[@synhegola]

Extraordinary. This shows how useful Evolution as a theory really is!

[@cirusrome4086]

Learned great information- thanks 🙏

[@nandkishorenandu8667]

The Beauty of explanation 😍

[@rowdeo8968]

what a nice dress and great presentation lol

[@brahmburgers]

What a lovely woman! ....her person, her insight, and the way she shares it with others.

[@pecan11]

This lecture is one of the most incredible I have seen. I have a personal interest in evolutionary biology and I studied bio in college. Remarkable insight with this research

[@peterwhyte317]

Thank you! I heard every word, and understood everything.

[@quill444]

What a powerful, pleasant, presentation: Aoife has the presence of an actress, one who could easily carry a starring role in a movie or television series! - j q t -

[@maxdoubt5219]

I love ice cream and cheeseburgers so I am quite happy to carry the mutation that let's me stay lactose tolerant all my life. But I don't like fruit and veg, so I want my Ligo gene back! Heh. This presentation is just as engaging as any by the cosmologists or physicists.

[@DavoidJohnson]

Exceptional seamless progression of knowledge. Other presenters should try to emulate this. Best of luck.

[@YNVNEone]

Happy to be evolved enough to understand this great presentation.

[@akashdasgupta6692]

Very informative. What do you think of Dawkins's definition of a gene, where it is defined as the smallest section of a chromosome that can potentially last over deep time? The definition you give, which is a gene is a section of a chromosome that codes for a certain chain of amino acids, is what is taught in school. However in 'the selfish gene', Dawkins tells us something different. Is there a 'conventional' definition, or is the issue still subject to debate?

[@jamesconner8275]

Excellent, even I understand it and I've been accused if missing a chunk of my DNA. When she pronounces "think" does she actually say "tink?" Must be in the Irish DNA.

[@numericalcode]

This is packed with valuable insights!

[@rozemarijnjongeneel3875]

This was super interesting!!

[@MarcoMeerman]

No supernatural deity was needed in this presentation about life.

[@brucemulvey9948]

Marco Meerman That’s right. That’s the point after all isn’t it?

[@williamgoode9114]

No, but science will, via AI+Net, encouraging better behavior for a varied and sustainable PLANET.

[@sighthoundman]

In programming language: a gene is a variable length field within the DNA database.

[@jayaramanganapathi9385]

Great presentation, so well articulated with examples specially the aircrafts with places where bullet hits were not found.

[@jasonwiley798]

This also known as the mortality bias , a common statistical phenomenon.

[@donaldcook2484]

Incredible knowledge and takes evolution to another level.

[@mozkitolife5437]

Invoking ID or Creationism comes easier to theists than learning new concepts as an adult because they've been exposed to these cultural, subjective ideas from birth. It's easy to speak the language you've grown up with... it's just who you are. Attempting to speak another language takes up to a year of learning. The same goes for religion. Their brains are structured for religiosity due to a congenital/pedagological indoctrination. It's not their fault but you can't force these people to suddenly change their neurology which was established over decades. They have to want to learn and change themselves but that will only happen if they're intelligent enough. Unfortunately, religiosity is negatively correlated with education/intelligence.

[@unitelanka]

organized religion is no different from cults. we've heard about how difficult it is to 'deprogram' people that have been taken in by cults.

[@mozkitolife5437]

+JZoidberg Agreed. IMO the only difference between organised religion and a cult is the number of people subscribing to them.

[@colinscholey]

that is a very narrow minded viewpoint try studying all the religions including the alien annunaki therory and try linda moulton howe if you dare ...she will blow your tinhat right off...the idea that nothing has produced dna is laughable...as is the idea that there is not an alien overlord...look at the face and pyramids on mars...

[@bobaldo2339]

Yes and no, Jason. What you think of as "religiosity" is conditioned by your own upbringing, in other words by your own culture. Westerners tend to see all other religions through the distorted lens of the 3 desert religions.

[@paulinecoburn181]

Jason Axford Religiosity?

[@tantiwahopak101]

16:00 "we no longer sniff each other's bum" nice one 😂

[@epajarjestys9981]

I do.

[@CyPhi68]

At 30:54, it is interesting to compare the structure of hemoglobin and chlorophyll C1 and C2. Very similar, hemoglobin has an iron molecule in the center and chlorophyll has a magnesium molecule. Mother Nature found a useful carrier complex in plants and tweaked it in animals. She doesn't fix it if it ain't broke, just a little tweak. FYI, chlorophyll a, b, d and f have long side chains but the central complex is almost the same in all types. Another example, compare auxin and melatonin, auxin in plants and melatonin in animals.

[@patrick6110]

Brilliant expose, thank you

[@raffertyrocket7341]

GREEN

[@lwmaynard5180]

She's is green with with an Irish sheen, she tinks and tinkers with the evolution revolution. ? ? I'm confused , from Genesis to genes is spell bound ? ?

[@istvansipos9940]

"this is where the magic begins" - she said this in that dress and I simply could not NOT think about Tinker Bell :- )

[@raresmircea]

Interesting, thanks for these presentations!

[@huani2663]

Thanks a lot! very helpful

[@774Rob]

I am terrible at speaking in front of a group and would not wish to criticise but if she slowed it down a bit she would be magic.

[@RalphDratman]

She has a lot to communicate in a relatively short time.

[@RalphDratman]

FRANCIS FALUDI I agree! In fact, I sent her a message suggesting she make more youtube videos!

[@bickleigh3283]

For a lecturer I though her pacing was spot on!

[@RalphDratman]

Bick Leigh It was for me, too, but I think people really differ in the rate they prefer. I like to hear a lot in a short period of time -- as long as I can follow what's being said. Others might want more time to digest what's been said.

[@timlandscheidt]

FRANCIS FALUDI I'm pretty sure I heard a sigh at the end of the video :-).

[@SS-gc8je]

Kate Mckinnon is a geneticist now?

[@MarkMiller-zm2th]

Fascinating, great presentation.the lady’s accent makes you take notice

[@wendellwiggins3776]

I love the interest in this wonderful informative magical lecture. Simple yet complex enough to follow. I simply find the info so fascinating because the intricacies of life are so wonderful. The UNI-verse with all of It's elements are nobless than magical.

[@erichodge567]

Instantly in the running for "Best RI Lecture". Who could resist learning genetics from a beautiful elf straight out of Tolkien?

[@mokobaby6181]

27:25 she gets a little flustered at her drawing of a plane.

[@strangelimey]

Y'all need to stop apologizing to creationists. They have nothing. We have the universe.

[@RalphDratman]

I do apologize to creationists! I am sorry the education system failed so badly in your community. I am sorry you don't know enough about the world to realize that you cannot just nullify facts and deductions that have been checked by teams of scientists in thousands of labs all around the world. I am sorry you are missing out on the fantastic story of the powerful discoveries our species has made about nature.

[@strangelimey]

Ralph Dratman Erm, that was my point. I do know enough to know that dogma from a book written by iron age desert wanderers has nothing on hundreds of years of research and experimentation.

[@RalphDratman]

Michael Stone Each of my three paragraphs was addressed to the creationists, not to you. For example, in the first paragraph I meant "I am sorry the educational system has failed you creationists in your communities." My post was a sort of joke, just kidding around. I completely agree with you.

[@MrWdh2]

Michael Stone I'm not a "creationist" and I fully agree with you about dogma, and that we have to very careful about what we believe, especially if it seems to be supported by mathematical formulae and computer modelling, which we all too readily regard as infallible. Even science itself is not immune to self deception and error as Richard Milton so eloquently documents in his book, "Alternative Science". So, it would seem that our faith in what science has so far revealed to us is every bit as unshakable as the faith of those desert wanderers you spoke of. In fact it's even more unshakable, because we believe we have incontrovertible proof - at least until we're proven wrong once again. It's because of its rigidity that dogma is always wrong, whether it be religious or scientific. The textbooks are constantly being changed and updated, and what was "true" yesterday is no longer "true" today. That's just the nature of scientific knowledge. I believe that science offers us a wonderful tool for understanding the world around us. But, when science is wrong, it's every bit as wrong as any other belief system. To it's credit, science is a self-correcting belief system, but that tells us we should never be too sure of what we think we know. We have to be careful not to turn the scientific beliefs of today into the dogma of tomorrow.

[@dante224real1]

i am sorry you were created to begin with.

[@warshipsdd-2142]

Outstanding and informative presentation

[@garymiller3403]

So beautiful presentation!!!!

[@bobm4378]

only one thing would improve it, put the slides in a window, so they can be seen all the time.. :)