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Evan Eichler is interested in the evolution, pathology, and mechanisms behind recent gene duplication and copy number variation within the human genome. Specifically, Eichler and his team want to understand the functional and structural impacts of segmental duplications that give rise to new genes and recurrent rearrangements associated with neurodevelopmental delay. Using computational and experimental approaches, the team is working to address such questions as: How did this architecture of duplications evolve in humans, and what is the underlying mechanism? To what extent do they contribute to disease and phenotypic differences? And, how does the human duplication structure compare to that of apes and other mammals?