Evolutionary Arms Races 

Our genomes are a tenuous conglomerate of different genetic entities, each trying to maximize their own evolutionary success, often at great cost to their genomic neighbors. As expected, this conflict can create problems for the host organism. The Malik Lab is interested in evolutionary studies of genetic conflict to gain insight into their mechanisms and consequences. We study genetic conflicts primarily in three systems: Drosophila, primates and yeast. While there are a number of investigative projects that are going on at any given time in the lab, our focus is on three conflicts in particular: centromeres, innate and intrinsic immunity against viruses in primates, and mobile genetic elements in Drosophila.