GS4: Using Ancestral Recombination Graphs (ARGs) to Infer Evolutionary Processes
Date: September 30, 2022
Time: 14:00-21:00 UTC
Abstract submission deadline: CLOSED
Online Program: HERE (please use the "Date" menu dropdown to select the September 30 event).
Geo region/Timezone: NA/SA
Abstract: The field of population genetics is undergoing a fundamental change. This transition involves moving from inferences based on summary statistics to inferences based on methods that integrate all the information available in genetic data through the ancestral recombination graphs (ARGs). This use of ARGs is a truly disruptive idea that is fundamentally changing how we make inferences about molecular evolution. It not only promises to provide more precise inferences, but ARGs will also allow explorations of new questions that couldn’t easily be addressed previously such as researching temporal changes in patterns of recombination and mutation. However, inference of ARGs is a difficult computational problem and there is a lack of consensus in the field on best practices, and costs and benefits of different approaches. This symposium will address how genome-wide genealogies can be effectively estimated as well as used to better understand evolutionary processes. We will highlight new methods for inferring adaptive introgression, selective sweeps, polygenic adaptation, population structure, and admixture histories, and also for uncovering the genetic basis of complex traits. We also hope the symposium will foster discussions and help build consensus on methods for ARG estimation. We aim to create a symposium that will provide a rich learning opportunity for both early career and senior researchers who wish to familiarize themselves with this important transformation in the field of population genetics.
Invited Speakers: Wilder Wohns (Broad Institute)
Organizers: Christian Huber (Pennsylvania State, USA), Débora Brandt (UC Berkeley, USA), Diego Ortega-Del Vecchyo (National Autonomous Univ of Mexico, MX), Charleston Chiang (Univ of Southern California, USA)