Rob Phillips

Caltech

Title: Virsuses in a Tight Squeeze: The Twisted Tale of Viral DNA


Abstract: A series of beautiful and inspiring experiments have revealed not only the structures of many parts from the viral parts list, but also the nature of the physical processes that make up the life cycles of viruses. One of the most intriguing features of viruses is how they manage their genomes - in particular, how their genetic material is packaged in their tiny icosahedral shells to huge pressures and how it gets back out again during the process of infection of their cellular hosts. This talk will attempt to convey a sense of the beauty and ingenuity of viruses and how ideas from physics can be exploited to construct predictive models of their function.