https://phys.org/ en-us Latest news from Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution Traits are often lost during evolution, either because they are no longer beneficial or because they are too costly to maintain. When this happens, it is generally believed that the genes underlying the trait will eventually degrade as well, making it difficult if not impossible for the trait to re-emerge. Yet there are numerous examples in nature of once-lost traits re-emerging in descendent lineages. https://phys.org/news/2024-05-reveals-maintenance-male-genes-loss.html Evolution Wed, 29 May 2024 16:52:03 EDT news636220321 Competition and cooperation are fundamental forces that govern the evolutionary and ecological dynamics among species. The balance between these forces varies across ecological contexts, with some environments favoring cooperative behaviors that promote mutual benefit, while others reward competitive strategies that maximize individual fitness. https://phys.org/news/2024-04-microbial-cheaters-iron-limited-environments.html Evolution Thu, 25 Apr 2024 10:37:04 EDT news633260221 From microbes in the human gut to symbiotic algae in coral reefs, research in recent decades has increasingly revealed the pivotal roles that microorganisms (or microbial species) play in shaping the biology of host organisms and of broader ecosystems. For example, some endosymbionts—microbes that live within the cells of a host organism—are known to manipulate the physiology of their hosts to promote their own persistence from generation to generation. https://phys.org/news/2024-04-discovery-bacterial-proteins-asexual-reproduction.html Evolution Wed, 17 Apr 2024 09:07:06 EDT news632563619 Microsatellites are valuable tools for studying inheritance, genetic diversity, and population dynamics across a wide range of organisms including bacteria, plants, animals, and fungi. These short, repeating sequence motifs are a common feature of both coding and non-coding DNA and have been observed in all genomes studied to date. https://phys.org/news/2024-04-ancient-adlie-penguin-dna-reveals.html Evolution Mon, 01 Apr 2024 11:05:04 EDT news631188301 Tardigrades may be nature's ultimate survivors. While these tiny, nearly translucent animals are easily overlooked, they represent a diverse group that has successfully colonized freshwater, marine, and terrestrial environments on every continent, including Antarctica. https://phys.org/news/2024-01-genomes-reveal-secrets-extreme-survival.html Evolution Mon, 22 Jan 2024 11:03:03 EST news625143781 In the colorful world of avian courtship, the ruff (Calidris pugnax) is in a league of its own. Breeding in marshes and wet meadows across Eurasia, the males of this medium-sized sandpiper species are well-known for their distinctive mating strategies, which range from flamboyant territorial displays to cunning mimicry. https://phys.org/news/2023-12-avian-supergene-explores-evolutionary-paradox.html Evolution Thu, 07 Dec 2023 17:04:04 EST news621191041 For centuries, humans pursued the "fountain of youth" in the quest for longer lives. More recently, curiosity has been reignited among the scientific community thanks to genome sequencing technologies that are facilitating a deeper look into the genetic mechanisms underlying aging and extended lifespans. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-bivalve-mollusks-secret-longer-life.html Evolution Wed, 15 Nov 2023 11:02:04 EST news619268521 Apoptosis, often referred to as programmed cell death, is a fundamental process crucial to the growth and development of multicellular organisms. This process, or a primordial form of it, is also observed in single-celled eukaryotes like yeast and other microeukaryotes (aka protists). https://phys.org/news/2023-10-cell-death-billion-years.html Evolution Thu, 12 Oct 2023 11:10:01 EDT news616327193 The iconic African black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis) faces an uncertain future after intense poaching caused a 98% decline in wild populations from 1960 to 1995. While numbers are currently increasing, the animal remains critically endangered. https://phys.org/news/2023-09-genomic-insights-future-black-rhinoceros.html Evolution Thu, 14 Sep 2023 16:36:30 EDT news613928186 A new study challenges the conventional wisdom surrounding genome stability within closely related organisms and sheds new light on the mechanisms underlying extensive genome size variation. https://phys.org/news/2023-08-size-genome-dynamics-driven-variation.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 08 Aug 2023 11:30:27 EDT news610713002 Clownfish, renowned for their vibrant colors and unusual symbiotic relationship with sea anemones, have long captivated the imagination of scientists and nature enthusiasts alike. They also serve as a promising model organism for studying adaptive radiations, as their interactions with sea anemones appears to have triggered their rapid diversification into 28 species. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-biologists-deep-evolution-clownfish.html Evolution Mon, 17 Jul 2023 12:06:30 EDT news608814387 The recognition of the phenomenon known as horizontal (or lateral) gene transfer (HGT/LGT) revolutionized our understanding of evolutionary mechanisms. Unlike the conventional vertical transmission of genes from parent to offspring, HGT involves the exchange of genetic material laterally, across species boundaries. https://phys.org/news/2023-06-complexity-barrier-horizontal-gene.html Cell & Microbiology Fri, 16 Jun 2023 13:14:04 EDT news606140041 The course of human history has been marked by complex patterns of migration, isolation, and admixture, the latter a term that refers to gene flow between individuals from different populations. Admixture results in a blending of genetic lineages, leading to increased genetic diversity within populations. In addition to admixture among modern human populations, ancient humans reproduced with other hominin groups, such as Neanderthals and Denisovans. https://phys.org/news/2023-05-human-ancestry-alleles.html Evolution Fri, 19 May 2023 14:06:48 EDT news603724003 Antarctica may seem like a desolate place, but it is home to some of the most unique lifeforms on the planet. Despite the fact that land temperatures average around -60°C and ocean temperatures hover near the freezing point of saltwater (-1.9°C), a number of species thrive in this frigid habitat. https://phys.org/news/2023-04-antarctic-icefish-sea-ice.html Evolution Thu, 13 Apr 2023 17:06:52 EDT news600624408 A new study in Genome Biology and Evolution reveals that egg yolk proteins may have been co-opted to provide maternal nutrition in live-bearing sharks and their relatives. https://phys.org/news/2023-03-shark-nursery-evolution-birth-cartilaginous.html Evolution Thu, 16 Mar 2023 11:37:05 EDT news598185421 A new study reveals that the evolution of sunscreen pigments in lichen-forming fungi has been governed by the reshuffling of existing enzyme genes and novel accessory genes into new gene clusters. https://phys.org/news/2023-02-gene-cluster-reshuffling-natural-sunscreen.html Evolution Thu, 09 Feb 2023 14:25:57 EST news595175145 Since Darwin, biologists have been fascinated by the evolution of sociality. In its most extreme form, eusocial species exhibit a division of labor in which certain individuals perform reproductive tasks such as egg laying, while others play non-reproductive roles such as foraging, nest building, and defense. https://phys.org/news/2023-01-social-code-deciphering-genetic-basis.html Evolution Tue, 31 Jan 2023 12:45:04 EST news594391502 The creation of an interspecies hybrid—an organism containing genes from more than one species—is an extremely common occurrence in the realm of bacteria. The transfer of genetic material from one bacterial species to another is often referred to as lateral or horizontal transfer and plays a major role in bacterial evolution and diversity, for example in the exchange of antibiotic resistance genes among bacteria. https://phys.org/news/2022-10-strange-bedfellows-evolution-bacterial-hybrids.html Evolution Wed, 12 Oct 2022 09:17:03 EDT news584785021 Humans have unwittingly been carrying out evolution experiments for millennia through the domestication of plants, animals, and fungi. Starting with the seminal experiments of William Dallinger in the late 19th century, such experiments have been performed under controlled laboratory conditions to better understand the processes and constraints of evolution. https://phys.org/news/2022-09-nature-laboratory-differences-experimental-evolution.html Evolution Tue, 13 Sep 2022 13:28:03 EDT news582294481 Residing in the hills of southern Thailand, the Maniq comprise one of the last hunter-gatherer communities in the world. Although the Maniq are geographically isolated, they share many cultural features with the Semang peoples, most of whom live over the border in Malaysia. Due to the complex relationships among the various communities in mainland Southeast Asia, anthropologists have long debated the demographic history of the area, with one, two, three, or four waves of human migration having been proposed for the region. A recent study in Genome Biology and Evolution by Tobias Göllner, Maximilian Larena, and colleagues titled "Unveiling the genetic history of the Maniq, a primary hunter-gatherer society" provides new insight into the Maniq and their relationships with other indigenous groups in mainland Southeast Asia. https://phys.org/news/2022-04-extreme-genetic-drift-maniq-hunter-gatherers.html Evolution Wed, 13 Apr 2022 10:12:25 EDT news569063542 Birds have been shaped by evolution in many ways that have made them distinct from their vertebrate cousins. Over millions of years of evolution, our feathered friends have taken to the skies, accompanied by unique changes to their skeleton, musculature, respiration, and even reproductive systems. Recent genomic analyses have identified another unique aspect of the avian lineage: streamlined genomes. Although bird genomes contain roughly the same number of protein-coding genes as other vertebrates, their genomes are smaller, containing less noncoding DNA. Scientists are still exploring the potential consequences of this genome reduction on bird biology. In a new article in Genome Biology and Evolution titled "Genome size reduction and transposon activity impact tRNA gene diversity while ensuring translational stability in birds," Claudia Kutter and her colleagues reveal that, in addition to fewer protein-coding genes, bird genomes also contain surprisingly few tRNA genes, while nonetheless exhibiting the same tRNA usage patterns as other vertebrates. As tRNaAs are a pivotal part of the cellular machinery that translates messenger RNA (mRNA) into protein, this suggests that birds have evolved to use their limited tRNA repertoire more efficiently. https://phys.org/news/2021-04-birds-trna-efficiency-heights.html Evolution Wed, 14 Apr 2021 11:10:28 EDT news537617424 Humans inhabit an incredible range of environments across the globe, from arid deserts to frozen tundra, tropical rainforests, and some of the highest peaks on Earth. Indigenous populations that have lived in these extreme environments for thousands of years have adapted to confront the unique challenges that they present. Approximately 2% of people worldwide live permanently at high altitudes of over 2,500 meters (1.5 miles), where oxygen is sparse, UV radiation is high, and temperatures are low. https://phys.org/news/2021-02-epigenetics-life-feet.html Evolution Fri, 12 Feb 2021 11:45:38 EST news532352728 The past several decades have been hard on Apis mellifera, the Western honey bee. Originally native to Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, Western honey bees have spread worldwide thanks to the nutritional and medicinal value of their honey, pollen, royal jelly, beeswax, propolis, and venom. Even more recently, the rise of the mobile hive and increased demand for pollination services have resulted in an army of bees being unleashed on crops each year, most notably almonds, which require several million bee visits per acre. At the same time, the last 50 years have seen dramatic declines in honey bee populations due to pesticide use, climate change, and habitat destruction. Most notably, the spread of the parasitic mite Varroa destructor from Asia to Western Europe and North America in the 1970's decimated A. mellifera colonies, making it nearly impossible for honey bees to survive without human intervention and resulting in the loss of the vast majority of wild and feral honey bee colonies. Given this decline, scientists have speculated that loss of genetic diversity among honey bees may be contributing to further losses in bee populations. A new study in Genome Biology and Evolution, titled "Digging into the genomic past of Swiss honey bees by whole-genome sequencing museum specimens," provides evidence that disputes this theory, suggesting that loss of genetic diversity may not be among the long list of threats to bee survival. https://phys.org/news/2020-12-good-news-honey-bees-year-old.html Plants & Animals Tue, 08 Dec 2020 10:17:30 EST news526645046 A unique DNA packaging mechanism may enhance night vision in owls, helping them succeed as the only avian nocturnal predators. https://phys.org/news/2020-10-unique-owls-night.html Evolution Mon, 19 Oct 2020 09:22:15 EDT news522318132 Out of the vast number of life forms on the planet, it is estimated that fewer than 25% have been characterized, perhaps even fewer than 0.01%. Among this list, microscopic organisms are especially poorly represented: While up to 80% of all eukaryotes are protists (i.e., single-celled eukaryotes), these account for only 3% of described eukaryotic species. https://phys.org/news/2020-10-species-high-seas.html Evolution Tue, 06 Oct 2020 09:17:35 EDT news521194650 A billion years ago, a single-celled eukaryote engulfed a cyanobacterium—an organism capable of converting the sun's energy into food in the form of carbohydrates. In one of the single most pivotal events in the history of life, instead of the bacterium being digested, an endosymbiosis was formed, with the bacterial cell persisting inside the host eukaryote for millennia and giving rise to the first photosynthetic eukaryotes. The descendants of this merger include plants, as well as a large number of single-celled eukaryotes that are collectively referred to as algae (i.e. kelp, nori). The remnants of the cyanobacterium eventually evolved into an organelle known as a plastid or chloroplast, which allows photosynthetic eukaryotes to produce their own food—and thus to provide food to animals like us. Despite the importance of this event, a variety of aspects of plastid evolution have long remained shrouded in mystery. In a review in Genome Biology and Evolution, Shannon Sibbald and John Archibald highlight emerging genome data in this field and provide new insight into plastid evolution. https://phys.org/news/2020-07-history-plastids.html Molecular & Computational biology Mon, 13 Jul 2020 12:50:02 EDT news513862890 For nearly a century, biologists have modeled the evolution of sex chromosomes—the genetic instructions that primarily determine whether an individual will develop into a male or female (or a certain mating type)—resulting in an impressive theoretical framework. Now, thanks to the publication of genomic data from a wide variety of non-model organisms, these theories are being tested against empirical evidence from nature—often with surprising results. In a new review in Genome Biology and Evolution, Benjamin Furman, Judith Mank, and colleagues detail the surprising number of exceptions to the purported rules of sex chromosome evolution theory, revealing the potential limitations to our understanding of chromosome-based sex determination systems. https://phys.org/news/2020-06-sex-exceptions.html Evolution Tue, 02 Jun 2020 09:45:15 EDT news510309907 Why is sex so popular? The question of why so many organisms reproduce sexually has mystified evolutionary biologists since before Darwin, who wrote, "The whole subject is as yet hidden in darkness." In a recent article in Genome Biology and Evolution titled "What's genetic variation got to do with it? Starvation-induced self-fertilization enhances survival in Paramecium," the authors suggest that the molecular mechanisms underlying sex and the stress response may be more tightly coupled than previously appreciated, providing a new explanation for the widespread prevalence of sex in nature. https://phys.org/news/2020-05-sex-stress-microbes.html Evolution Thu, 21 May 2020 09:23:37 EDT news509271807 Sex is an ancient and widespread phenomenon, with over 99 percent of eukaryotes (cells with nuclei) partaking in some form of sexual reproduction, at least occasionally. Given the relative ubiquity and presumed importance of sex, it is perhaps surprising that the mechanisms that determine an individual's sex vary so spectacularly across organisms. Mechanisms for sex determination can depend on environmental signals, such as temperature, or can be genetically based, with one sex carrying different alleles, genes, or chromosomes—or even different numbers of each of these—from the other. The most well-studied system for sex determination is the XY system, which can be found in most mammals. In this system, females have two of the same type of sex chromosomes (XX) and males have two different types of sex chromosomes (XY). https://phys.org/news/2019-12-birds-bees-bearded-dragons-evolution.html Evolution Mon, 23 Dec 2019 09:19:32 EST news496315151 Crack open a biology textbook and you will find the table summarizing the standard genetic code. This refers to the set of rules by which the cell "decodes" the information contained in DNA and "translates" it into the amino acids that make up proteins. For example, in virtually all organisms, the codon (3-letter DNA sequence) AGA tells the translation machinery to add the amino acid asparagine. While a few deviations in the genetic code used by various organisms are known, research published earlier this year in Molecular Biology and Evolution and in the current issue of Genome Biology and Evolution suggests that a much larger number of variations present in the genetic codes of all living organisms. https://phys.org/news/2019-10-re-cracking-genetic-code.html Molecular & Computational biology Tue, 29 Oct 2019 10:39:32 EDT news491564361