Prokaryotes (bacteria) are relatively small cells that contain regions inside them where genes congregate but no membrane separates them from the rest of the cell.

Eukaryotes are the cells that comprise all other living things. Their genetic material is enclosed in a membrane - the nucleus of the cell. In spite of these differences, the same basic molecular mechanisms govern both prokaryotes and eukaryotes, indicating that all present-day cells are descended from a single primordial ancestor.

Dr. Geraint Parry will talk about the cell biology of different organisms - how they are similar and different - and what this tells us about the evolutionary process.

More information is available here: http://liverpoolcafescientifique.org/next-meeting

Geraint Parry is a molecular biologist who has recently taken up his position at Liverpool after post-doctoral research at Indiana University, Bloomington.