Event Details

Dr. Drabeck, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Minnesota Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department,integrates biochemistry, biophysics, and phylogenetics into her work on coevolutionary systems. Her current research focuses on the South American marsupial known as the possum. Possums are not only resistant to snake venom but also attack and eat pit vipers with impunity, exhibiting no behavioral precautions while subduing these dangerous snakes. Dr. Drabeck will fill us in on how she's investigating this coevolutionary arms race through integrated biological techniques from molecular biology to biophysics.