The Physics of Evolution and Adaptation in a Nanofabricated World

在这项提案中，PI将在芯片上研究细菌种群的进化。这项工作的意义是从细菌到高等生物进化动力学的核心。该提案的一个关键思想是利用压力对基因突变的重要作用以及从集体角度看待生物体的重要性。这些问题将使用PI发明的新技术进行研究。拟议的研究有两个广泛的影响。一个是了解抗生素耐药性细菌的兴起，拟议的工作将导致了解细菌之间的接触规则。它还将开启一种控制细菌的新方法：不是试图杀死它们，而是学习如何控制它们不可避免的存在。PI还建议积极开始教育高中教师和高中学生关于进化论的现代基础。

In this proposal the PI will study the evolution of a bacterial population on a chip. The implications of the proposed work are at the heart of evolutionary dynamics from bacteria to higher organisms. One of the key ideas of the proposal is the exploitation of the important role that stress plays on the mutation of genes and the importance of viewing organisms from a collective perspective. These questions will be studied using a new technology that the PI has invented. There are two broad impacts of the proposed research. One is on understanding the rise of antibiotic resistant bacteria and the proposed work will lead to understanding of the rules of engagement between bacteria. It will also start a new way of controlling bacteria: not by trying to kill them, but by learning how to control their inevitable presence. The PI also proposes to actively start educating high school teachers and high school students about the modern foundations of evolution.