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.
A new international study suggests that ancient viral DNA embedded in our genome, which were long dismissed as genetic "junk," may actually play powerful roles in regulating gene expression. Focusing on a family of sequences ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jul 18, 2025
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131
Researchers at the Yale School of Public Health have discovered the evolutionary rhythm of gene expression, showing that changes happen at strikingly varied rates.
Cell & Microbiology
Jul 18, 2025
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1
Unraveling the genetic mechanisms behind adaptive evolution stands as a pivotal challenge in molecular biology. While organisms often exhibit rapid phenotypic adjustments to environmental shifts, the underlying genomic processes ...
Evolution
Jul 18, 2025
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An international research team has deciphered a mechanism of the evolutionary arms race in human cells. The findings provide insights into how mobile elements in DNA hijack cellular functions—and how cells can defend themselves ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Jul 11, 2025
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112
Proteins degrade over time, making their history hard to study. But new research has uncovered ancient proteins in the enamel of the teeth of 18-million-year-old fossilized mammals from Kenya's Rift Valley, opening a window ...
Evolution
Jul 9, 2025
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32
Enzymes catalyze chemical reactions in organisms—without which life would not be possible. Leveraging AlphaFold2 artificial intelligence, researchers at Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin have now succeeded in analyzing ...
Evolution
Jul 9, 2025
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A team of researchers has developed a method that could transform the field of protein engineering. The new approach, called AI-informed Constraints for protein Engineering (AiCE), enables rapid and efficient protein evolution ...
Biotechnology
Jul 8, 2025
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18
Two species of worms have retained remarkably similar patterns in the way they switch their genes on and off despite having split from a common ancestor 20 million years ago, a new study finds.
Evolution
Jun 19, 2025
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98
In football, defense keeps the opposing team in check. A similar strategy is at play inside our cells. Negative feedback loops (NFLs) help regulate how cells respond to signals, for example, dialing down activity when things ...
Evolution
Jun 13, 2025
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0
Researchers have found that chunks of "flipped" DNA can help fish quickly adapt to new habitats and evolve into new species, acting as evolutionary "superchargers."
Evolution
Jun 12, 2025
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