Molecular evolution is the biological process encompassing changes in the nucleotide sequences of DNA or RNA and the amino acid sequences of proteins over time, driven by mutation, recombination, genetic drift, natural selection, and other population-level forces. It focuses on the rates and patterns of substitutions, insertions, deletions, and genome rearrangements, as well as the emergence of new genes and regulatory elements. Molecular evolution underlies divergence among species, functional innovation, and conservation of essential biomolecules, and is quantitatively analyzed using models of sequence evolution, comparative genomics, and phylogenetic inference to elucidate evolutionary relationships and constraints at the molecular level.
In about one out of every 800 people, two chromosomes fuse together to form an unusual bond. These are known as Robertsonian chromosomes. It's a mystery that has long stumped scientists.
Evolution
Sep 24, 2025
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New research into the genetics of Anopheles funestus (An. funestus), one of the most neglected but prolific malaria-transmitting mosquitoes in Africa, has revealed how this species is evolving in response to malaria control ...
Evolution
Sep 18, 2025
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How did digits evolve? While it is clear that they derive from genetic programs already present in fish, their precise origin remains a matter of debate. An international team led by the University of Geneva (UNIGE) with ...
Evolution
Sep 17, 2025
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Genes are the building blocks of life, and the genetic code provides the instructions for the complex processes that make organisms function. But how and why did it come to be the way it is?
Evolution
Sep 16, 2025
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The questions of how humankind came to be, and whether we are alone in the universe, have captured imaginations for millennia. But to answer these questions, scientists must first understand life itself and how it could have ...
Evolution
Sep 16, 2025
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The movement of genetic material between organisms that aren't directly related is a significant driver of evolution, especially among single-celled organisms like bacteria and archaea. A team led by researchers at Bigelow ...
Evolution
Sep 6, 2025
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MADS-box genes, critical regulatory elements in eukaryotes, have undergone extensive diversification in green plants. Although MADS-box genes have been extensively studied, the understanding of their origin and evolution, ...
Plants & Animals
Sep 5, 2025
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A study published in Nature Ecology & Evolution reveals a surprising evolutionary insight: sometimes, losing genes rather than gaining them can help bacterial pathogens survive and thrive.
Evolution
Sep 2, 2025
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By tracing the genomes of nine brown algal species, researchers have shed light on the ancient origins, remarkable stability, and unexpected transformations of U/V sex chromosomes. This reveals how sex determination can evolve, ...
Evolution
Aug 26, 2025
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For decades, large stretches of human DNA were dismissed as "junk" and considered to serve no real purpose. In a new study published in Cell Genomics, researchers at Lund University in Sweden show that the repetitive part ...
Evolution
Aug 25, 2025
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