GENOME MACROEVOLUTION: INSIGHTS FROM FOSSILS AND PHYLOGENIES

Fossil evidence empirically grounds our understanding of the sequence, rate, and direction of morphological evolution across the breadth of life – a crucial dataset that is absent in genome biology (except for recently extinct species). Extant species represent a scant 0.01% of all species that have ever lived, a tiny sample from which to understand genome biology and evolution. In this talk review deep time paleogenomics and discuss how we can leverage data from the other 99.9% to better understand genome biology and evolution. By integrating genomics and paleontology with computational biology, the fossil record can yield insights into how and why genomes evolved.