The spark that created life

Evolution by Darwinian natural selection is immensely powerful—both in nature and within laboratories. Using 'laboratory evolution', we can take an enzyme which combines random mutations and functional selection, and improve ...

Proteins with different evolutionary histories now do the same job

Mitochondria are essential organelles of cells with a nucleus – known as eukaryotic cells. These are the cells which make up fungi, plants, and animals including humans. Mitochondria work like tiny power plants, processing ...

How to code a functional molecular machine

An international team has developed a model that simulates protein evolution. Starting from stiff, unfunctional proteins, the computer model shows how evolving protein components can work together to give rise to dynamic ...

Scientists develop new theory of molecular evolution

Researchers from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and the University College London have developed a new theory of molecular evolution, offering insights into how genes function, how the rates of evolutionary ...

A new tool to decipher evolutionary biology

Understanding evolution is one of the cornerstones of biology—evolution is, in fact, the sole explanation for life's diversity on Earth. Based on the evolution of proteins, researchers may explain the emergence of new species ...

Drivers of evolution hidden in plain sight

Research led by the European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI) and the University of Washington has shown that the biological diversity needed for evolution can be generated by changes in protein modifications. The findings, ...

page 4 from 8