Natural populations harbor extensive genetic diversity. In humans, these genetic differences are being used to predict some individual traits, such as height, cancer risk and even educational attainment. Population geneticist Molly Przeworski introduces the idea behind these predictions and highlights some of their pitfalls, notably the difficulty of disentangling genetic and environmental effects. She also discusses how similar approaches can be used to predict the response of non-model organisms to strong selection pressures from climate change, with an example from corals.

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The John M. Prather Lecture Series is presented by the Harvard Museum of Natural History and the Harvard Museums of Science & Culture in collaboration with the Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology.

Registration is required for both in-person and Zoom attendance. 

Photo credit: Lili Sella