Liberal Arts and Sciences
Cai Lab
Led by Liming Cai · Biology
What we study
The Cai Lab studies the natural history and molecular evolution of flowering plants, especially parasitic and other interacting species. They combine phylogenetic (evolutionary tree), genomic (DNA), and physiological experiments to infer relationships, trace dispersal, and identify key innovations.
What working here is like
- Computational
- Wet lab
- Plants
- Papers
- 5
Recent papers, explained
- Polynomial-Time Derivation of Optimal $k$-Tree Topology from Markov Networks
2026 · Journal of Graph Algorithms and Applications
Finds a way to approximate complex networks with tree-like structures for simpler probability calculations.
- HGTScanner : Detecting horizontal gene transfer at the fine scale using whole organelle genomes
2026 · Methods in Ecology and Evolution
Builds a tool to detect horizontal gene transfer in organellar genomes using whole-genome data.
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- Recombination and Retroprocessing in Broomrapes Reveal RNA-Mediated Gene Transfer Mechanism and a Generalizable Model for Mitochondrial Evolution in Heterotrophic Plants
2026 · Genome Biology and Evolution
Studies how parasitic plants transfer genes to evolve their mitochondria.
- A Mathematical Model for RNA 3D Structures
2025 · Mathematics
Creates a math model to describe RNA 3D structures using geometric motifs and parameters.
- The Salient Aroma Hypothesis: host plant specialization is linked with plant volatile availability in Lepidoptera
2025 · Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences
Shows how butterflies' diets link to plant smells, suggesting daytime smells help them specialize on certain plants.
Plain-language summaries are AI-written and reviewed by us; check the paper for details.
How to reach out
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