Ariel Amir
SEAS, Harvard University, Cambridge, USA
Date
18 May 2016
Host
Evert van Nieuwenburg
Title
How Do Microorganisms Control their Sizes?
Abstract
How do bacteria control the size of their cells? How do they coordinate DNA replication, growth and division? I will show that ideas from statistical mechanics are helpful is answering these questions, and lead to a simple model where cell size and DNA replication is simultaneously regulated. Analysis of budding yeast data shows similar behavior, suggesting that the principles involved may be prevalent in nature across different kingdoms of life.
Ariel Amir (left) with Evert van Nieuwenburg