Our research is focused on discovering basic principles that determine the amount of diversity that exists within and between the genomes of organisms, and how we can use that diversity to understand organismal diversity, to discover novel genes, to maximize human health, and to advance agriculture. Our research is carried out primarily with Drosophila, though past work has included mammals and plants. Our current research aims to evaluate the evolutionary flexibility of the genes that regulate germline stem cell maintenance and differentiation using combined population and functional genomic approaches.