Phylogenetic Algebraic Geometry
Joint Talk with Department of Mathematics - Talk is at 4:00 PM in BESC 185. Refreshments will be at 3:30 PM in MATH 350.
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Date and time:Â
Friday, April 4, 2014 - 4:00pm
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BESC 185
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The main problem in phylogenetics is to reconstruct evolutionary relationships between collections of species, typically represented by a phylogenetic tree. In the statistical approach to phylogenetics, a probabilistic model of mutation is used to reconstruct the tree that best explains the data (the data consisting of DNA sequences from genes appearing in all species being analyzed). In algebraic statistics, we interpret these statistical models of evolution as geometric objects in a high-dimensional probability simplex. This connection arises because the functions that parametrize these models are polynomials, and hence we can consider statistical models as algebraic varieties. The goal of the talk is to introduce this connection and explain how the algebraic perspective leads to new theoretical advances in phylogenetics, and also provides new research directions in algebraic geometry. The talk material will be kept at an introductory level, with background on both phylogenetics and algebraic geometry.