Evo-devo (circa 1886) can be encapsulated by the hypothesis:
Ontogeny recapitulates Phylogeny.
Using the HOX genes as an example,
explain how evo-devo (circa 2008) supports this hypothesis.

Discuss the concept of capacitance in an evolutionary context.
Compare and contrast HSP-90 and SUP-35 as examples of evolutionary capactors

From the many lines of evidence supporting the RNA World Hypothesis,
select what you feel is the SINGLE key piece of supporting evidence.
Explain / Justify your selection.

A key goal of synthetic biology is the engineering of a functional living cell.
Advances in DNA synthesis chemistry make it feasible to synthesize
genome sized molecules.  Discuss how you would choose which functions
(genes) to include in this ‘minimal genome’.