Mathematics Colloquia and Seminars

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The genetic code of viruses and of living organisms is encoded in very long DNA or RNA molecules, which are tightly packaged in confined environments. Understanding the geometry and topology of nucleic acids is key to understanding the mechanisms of viral infection and the inner workings of a cell. We use techniques from knot theory and low-dimensional topology, aided by discrete methods and computational tools, to ask questions about the topological state of a genome. Recently we turned our attention to study the evolution of coronaviruses. I will give an overview of recent work in my group.