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Welcome to the Barbash Lab at Cornell University, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics!

We use genetic, genomic, and computational approaches to study the evolution of genomes and speciation.

Genomic sequence data reveal that a surprisingly high fraction of eukaryotic DNA is rapidly evolving, including protein-coding genes, non-coding regulatory DNA, and repetitive DNAs such as transposable elements and satellite DNA. 

We use genomic data to answer fundamental questions, like:

Are the dynamics of DNA change driven by neutral processes inherent in the mutational properties of DNA, or by adaptive forces that increase organismal fitness?

Are adaptive DNA changes being driven by the need for organisms to modify their morphology, physiology or behavior as they exploit new or changing aspects of their external environment,  or do adaptive DNA changes instead reflect the need for organisms to maintain stable phenotypes in the face of challenges from parasites and pathogens, such as transposable elements?

How does genomic change lead to changes in organismal phenotype, and ultimately to speciation?