Evolution News and Research

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'Survival of the fittest': How meiotic drivers shape the evolution of gamete formation

It can be hard to dispute the common adage 'survival of the fittest'. After all, "most of the genes in the genome are there because they're doing something good," says Sarah Zanders, PhD, assistant investigator at the Stowers Institute for Medical Research

18 Aug 2020

Study shows how mitochondrial defects lead to neurodevelopmental diseases

The tiny organelles mitochondria supply the energy crucial for all cells in the human body, specifically in the brain that consumes an excessive amount of fuel.

18 Aug 2020

Extrachromosomal DNA with potential to cause cancer drives poor patient outcomes

The multiplication of genes located in extrachromosomal DNA that have the potential to cause cancer drives poor patient outcomes across many cancer types, according to a Nature Genetics study published Aug. 17, 2020 by a team of researchers including Professors Vineet Bafna and Dr.Paul Mischel of the University of California San Diego and Professor Roel Verhaak of Jackson Laboratories.

From UC San Diego 18 Aug 2020

"Ocean-in-a-lab" shows air pollution can alter weather patterns

Oceans cover almost three-quarters of the globe, yet little is known about how gases and aerosols made by ocean microbes affect weather and climate, or how human-produced pollution could influence this process.

18 Aug 2020

Scientists shed new light on the evolution and function of shapes seen in nature

Researchers have shed fresh light on the evolution and function of the shapes we see in nature - using as a model the heart shaped fruits of the Capsella genus.

14 Aug 2020

New study shows how mitochondrial calcium transporter evolved over the years

According to a study performed by IRB Barcelona, the system that controls calcium levels in cells duplicated, giving rise to a pair of non-equivalent systems.

13 Aug 2020

Intensified rainstorms due to warming climate could offset heat damage to crops

Intensified rainstorms predicted for many parts of the United States as a result of warming climate may have a modest silver lining: they could more efficiently water some major crops, and this would at least partially offset the far larger projected yield declines caused by the rising heat itself.

11 Aug 2020

Adaptive parallel mutations are more common in Lake Baikal amphipods

A group of scientists from Skoltech and the Institute for Information Transmission Problems of RAS (IITP RAS) showed, using Lake Baikal amphipods as an example, that parallel evolution driven by adaptations can be detected at the whole-genome level.

11 Aug 2020

Light impulses can be used to trigger electrical excitation in plants

Optogenetics denotes the manipulation of cellular processes by light-based biological techniques. An international research team led by the Würzburg plant scientists Rainer Hedrich, Georg Nagel and Dirk Becker has succeeded in applying this method to higher plants: Light impulses can now be used to trigger electrical excitation in plants.

11 Aug 2020

Researchers show how boundaries of adaptations become bridges in evolution

There's a paradox within the theory of evolution: The life forms that exist today are here because they were able to change when past environments disappeared.

11 Aug 2020

Using genetic engineering to study evolutionary assimilation of foreign DNA in a new host

All life is subject to evolution in the form of mutations that change the DNA sequence of an organism's offspring, after which natural selection allows the 'fittest' mutants to survive and pass on their genes to future generations.

11 Aug 2020

Researchers describe a previously unknown phylum of aquatic Archaea

In a publication in Nature Communications last Friday, NIOZ scientists Nina Dombrowski and Anja Spang and their collaboration partners describe a previously unknown phylum of aquatic Archaea that are likely dependent on partner organisms for growth while potentially being able to conserve some energy by fermentation.

11 Aug 2020

UC Riverside physicist receives NIH grant to study how pathogens evolve

For several years, physicist John Barton at the University of California, Riverside, has been working on developing models to understand and predict how pathogens, such as HIV, evolve. This research pursuit has just received support from the National Institutes of Health.

11 Aug 2020

Study may reduce transmissible cancer in Tasmanian devils, offers hope for treating human cancers

A rare, transmissible tumor has brought the iconic Tasmanian devil to the brink of extinction, but new research by scientists at Washington State University and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle indicates hope for the animals' survival and possibly new treatment for human cancers.

10 Aug 2020

New theory shows why Y chromosome may be more resilient than previously believed

The Y chromosome, which is relatively smaller than its counterpart, the X chromosome, has significantly reduced in size across 200 million years of evolution.

7 Aug 2020

New study can help develop longevity-promoting drugs

Scientists have successfully dialed up and down the lifespan of creatures by changing the activity of proteins present in roundworm cells.

4 Aug 2020

Chemical analysis provides new explanation for dramatic period of global cooling

Scientists have long known the earth cooled dramatically about 13,000 years ago, dropping temperatures by about 3 degrees Centigrade.

3 Aug 2020

'Little brain' contains almost 80% of the cerebral cortex’s surface area

When we say someone has a quick mind, it may be in part thanks to our expanded cerebellum that distinguishes human brains from those of macaque monkeys, for example.

3 Aug 2020

Biologists identify a molecular mechanism that underlies phenotypic plasticity

Evolutionary and developmental biologist Craig Albertson and colleagues at the University of Massachusetts Amherst report that they have identified a molecular mechanism that allows an organism to change the way it looks depending on the environment it is exposed to, a process known as phenotypic plasticity.

29 Jul 2020

Scientists discover evolutionary lineage of SARS-CoV-2 virus

By reconstructing the evolutionary history of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that is responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, an international research team of Chinese, European and U.S. scientists has discovered that the lineage that gave rise to the virus has been circulating in bats for decades and likely includes other viruses with the ability to infect humans.

29 Jul 2020

Evolution News and Research

'Survival of the fittest': How meiotic drivers shape the evolution of gamete formation

Study shows how mitochondrial defects lead to neurodevelopmental diseases

Extrachromosomal DNA with potential to cause cancer drives poor patient outcomes

"Ocean-in-a-lab" shows air pollution can alter weather patterns

Scientists shed new light on the evolution and function of shapes seen in nature

New study shows how mitochondrial calcium transporter evolved over the years

Intensified rainstorms due to warming climate could offset heat damage to crops

Adaptive parallel mutations are more common in Lake Baikal amphipods

Light impulses can be used to trigger electrical excitation in plants

Researchers show how boundaries of adaptations become bridges in evolution

Using genetic engineering to study evolutionary assimilation of foreign DNA in a new host

Researchers describe a previously unknown phylum of aquatic Archaea

UC Riverside physicist receives NIH grant to study how pathogens evolve

Study may reduce transmissible cancer in Tasmanian devils, offers hope for treating human cancers

New theory shows why Y chromosome may be more resilient than previously believed

New study can help develop longevity-promoting drugs

Chemical analysis provides new explanation for dramatic period of global cooling

'Little brain' contains almost 80% of the cerebral cortex’s surface area

Biologists identify a molecular mechanism that underlies phenotypic plasticity

Scientists discover evolutionary lineage of SARS-CoV-2 virus

Driving Support for Pharmaceutical Testing Through Continuous Innovation

From Memory to Metaplasticity: Unraveling the Brain's Secrets

Revolutionizing Mass Spectrometry: A Deep Dive into Plasmion’s SICRIT® Technology

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