300722 SE Molecular processes of early evolution: from the "RNA world" to the Metazoa (2007W)

Seminar for advanced students of zoology, evolutionary biology, microbiology, molecular biology, and ecology. This seminar covers current and partially controversial topics on early evolution, which will be discussed based on selected papers, including abiotic evolution, evolution of the (eukaryotic) cell, endosymbiosis theory, phylogeny and evolution of the three domains of life (Bacteria, Archaea, Eukaryotes), the role of horizontal gene transfer during early evolution, symbiotic communities and biofilms, reconstruction of the primordial metazoan, transition between diploblastic and triploblastic animals, evolution of genetic and morphologic complexity.