[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/Sydney Brenner edited.jpg” caption=”Sydney Brenner will give a lecture at McMaster on Thursday, Oct. 19.”]Sydney Brenner, a distinguished scientist in genetics and molecular biology, will speak at McMaster on Thursday, Oct. 19 at 8 p.m. in Togo Salmon Hall, Room 120 as part of the Origins Institute's Public Lecture Series. Brenner will speak on The Architecture of Biological Complexity.

The Senior Distinguished Fellow of the Crick-Jacobs Center received the Nobel Prize in 2002.

Most recently, Brenner has been studying vertebrate gene and genome evolution. His work in this area has resulted in new ways of analyzing gene sequences, which has developed a new understanding of the evolution of vertebrates.

Among his many notable discoveries, Brenner established the existence of messenger RNA and demonstrated how the order of amino acids in proteins is determined.

He also conducted pioneering work with the roundworm, a model organism now widely used to study genetics.

His research with Caenorhabditis elegans garnered insights into aging, nerve cell function and controlled cell death, or apoptosis.

All faculty and students are invited to attend the lecture. Admission is free.