Variety is the spice of life—and key to saving wildlife
In the critical battle against extinction, conservationists use a variety of tactics to try to save species.
Plants & Animals
May 20, 2021
1
17
News tagged with genetic drift
New method preserves viable fruit fly embryos in liquid nitrogen
Cryopreservation, or the long-term storage of biomaterials at ultralow temperatures, has been used across cell types and species. However, until now, the practical cryopreservation of the fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster)—which ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Apr 27, 2021
0
21
Dueling evolutionary forces drive rapid evolution of salamander coloration
Two opposing evolutionary forces explain the presence of the two different colors of spotted salamander egg masses at ponds in Pennsylvania, according to a new study led by a Penn State biologist. Understanding the processes ...
Evolution
Apr 13, 2021
0
2339
Cellular Chinese whispers: The impact of mistranslation on phenotypic variability and fitness
The immense diversity in the living world and how it came into being has always been a subject of human enquiry. After centuries of playing detective in search of the basis of the parities and disparities that we see among ...
Evolution
Mar 18, 2021
0
5
Research reveals decreasing genetic connectivity in endangered tree Magnolia patungensis in fragmented forests
Endemic to the mountainous region of East Sichuan, West Hubei and its neighboring areas, Magnolia patungensis Hu is endangered due to overharvesting, habitat degradation and fragmentation. The current endangered status of ...
Ecology
Nov 3, 2020
0
2
A ribosome odyssey in mitochondria
Proteins make life and are made by ribosomes. In mitochondria, the repertoire of the mitoribosomal architectures turns out to be much more diverse than previously thought.
Cell & Microbiology
Aug 26, 2020
0
6
Novel major locus regulates beak evolution of ground tit
Classical quantitative genetics has found that most phenotypes are polygenic traits. Under this polygenic model, natural selection often acts on many loci simultaneously, resulting in the combination of a few loci with major ...
Ecology
Jul 8, 2020
0
90
Researchers study genetic outcomes of great gray owl population in four states
A University of Wyoming researcher led a study of great gray owls in a four-state region, showing that range discontinuity could lead to genetic drift and subsequent loss of genetic diversity in these birds.
Ecology
Jun 3, 2020
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2
Bacteria overcome hurdles to jump between species
Bacteria can overcome significant challenges to transfer from one species and flourish in another, research has shown.
Cell & Microbiology
Nov 28, 2019
0
262
Not just genes: Environment also shaped population variation in first Americans
The first Americans—humans who crossed onto the North American continent and then dispersed throughout Central and South America—all share common ancestry. But as they settled different areas, the populations diverged ...
Evolution
Aug 13, 2019
0
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