David Haig (biologist)

David Haig is a renowned evolutionary biologist known primarily for his work on genomic imprinting, parent-offspring conflict, and the evolution of placentation. His research focuses on understanding how the conflict between maternal and paternal genes affects the development and evolution of organisms, particularly mammals. He uses mathematical models and comparative analyses to explore these evolutionary processes.

Haig's contributions significantly advanced the understanding of genomic imprinting, a phenomenon where genes are expressed differently depending on whether they are inherited from the mother or the father. His work elucidates how this differential expression can lead to conflicts of interest between parents and their offspring, impacting traits like fetal growth and placental development. His research frequently uses the placenta as a model system for investigating parent-offspring conflict, analyzing the evolutionary arms race between maternal and paternal genes vying for control over resource allocation to the developing fetus.

He has published extensively in leading scientific journals and is a respected figure within the evolutionary biology community. His work continues to shape the understanding of the genetic basis of parental conflict and its implications for the evolution of reproductive strategies and life histories. He is currently affiliated with Harvard University. Further details about specific publications and affiliations can be found through academic databases such as Web of Science or Google Scholar.