When: October 21, 2026, 10:30 am – 12:00 pm
Where:
Outreach Building - Rooms 121 G and H, State College, PA
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This lecture is offered in partnership with the Penn State Emeritus Academy as part of “Explorations: The Penn State Emeritus Academy Lecture Series.”
This course is also offered online. You can select this option during the registration process.
Free to OLLI members, nonmembers, and the community.
Fruit flies (Drosophila) are not just an annoying problem in your kitchen but have served as a model system for the study of biological systems for more than 100 years, leading to 10 Nobel Prize winners in genetics, development, immunity, and circadian rhythm. This lecture will examine how fruit flies have contributed to our understanding of how chromosomes evolve through genome biology. The lecture will segue into a discussion of how direct-to-consumer DNA tests can help us understand our personal genealogical history.
Instructor: Dr. Stephen Schaeffer