Evolution News and Research

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Cancer cells can exchange and recombine their genetic material, shows study

Evolution within groups of tumor cells follows the principles of natural selection, as evolution in pathogenic microbes.

22 Jan 2021

Viral relatives of SARS-CoV-2 can evolve to evade the human immune system

Scientists have shown that two species of seasonal human coronavirus related to SARS-CoV-2 can evolve in certain proteins to escape recognition by the immune system, according to a study published today in eLife.

20 Jan 2021

Speciation process takes place in the presence of maximal gene flow, indicates study

Spatial isolation is known to promote speciation - but researchers at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet (LMU) in Munich have now shown that, at least in yeast, the opposite is also true. New ecological variants can also evolve within thoroughly mixed populations.

15 Jan 2021

Scientists trace back evolutionary history of antibiotic resistance genes

By comparing thousands of bacterial genomes, scientists in Gothenburg, Sweden have traced back the evolutionary history of antibiotic resistance genes. In almost all cases where an origin could be determined, the gene started to spread from bacteria that, themselves, can cause disease.

8 Jan 2021

Study uncovers unusual sex chromosomes of Australian iconic animals

The sex chromosomes genetically define the developmental fate of an embryo to become a male or a female individual, and usually, appear as one pair of morphologically different chromosomes between sexes.

8 Jan 2021

Researchers map platypus genome to understand its bizarre characteristics

Often considered the world's oddest mammal, Australia's beaver-like, duck-billed platypus exhibits an array of bizarre characteristics: it lays eggs instead of giving birth to live babies, sweats milk, has venomous spurs and is even equipped with 10 sex chromosomes.

7 Jan 2021

Neurons in the brainstem circuit control fine motor skills

Writing, driving a screw or throwing darts are only some of the activities that demand a high level of skill.

7 Jan 2021

New technological development could revolutionize the dairy industry

Might a new technological development of researchers from Tel Aviv University soon revolutionize the dairy products we consume?

7 Jan 2021

Study shows that hemoglobin in several species descends from a single gene

The marine worm Platynereis dumerilii has enabled researchers from CNRS, Université de Paris, Sorbonne Université, University of Saint Petersburg, and the University of Rio de Janeiro to demonstrate that hemoglobin appeared independently in several species and actually evolved from a single gene transmitted to all by their last common ancestor.

4 Jan 2021

Study reveals evolutionary relationship between two different organelles in liverwort cells

Cells, the basic unit of life, are surrounded by a limiting membrane called the plasma membrane. Inside cells, there are various membrane-bounded organelles, each of which has various and distinctive functions.

29 Dec 2020

Researchers reconstruct the chewing motion of an early mammal

Paleontologists at the University of Bonn (Germany) have succeeded in reconstructing the chewing motion of an early mammal that lived almost 150 million years ago.

24 Dec 2020

Transporter protein likely played a crucial role in vertebrate evolution

A transporter protein that regulates cell membrane cholesterol likely played an important role in vertebrate evolution, according to a review published by iCeMS researchers in the journal FEBS Letters.

24 Dec 2020

Scientists identify new weapon to fight against antibiotic-resistant bacteria

As scientists around the globe wage war against a novel, deadly virus, one University of Colorado Boulder lab is working on new weapons to battle a different microbial threat: a rising tide of antibiotic-resistant bacteria which, if left unchecked, could kill an estimated 10 million people annually by 2050.

24 Dec 2020

Scientists identify new target to deliver anti-cancer drugs to tumor cells

With the evolution of cancer, the quest for identifying efficient treatment techniques for cancer patients has remained challenging.

17 Dec 2020

The Earth is warming faster than evolution, shows study

The world is getting warmer, and life has to adapt to new conditions. But if the warming continues, many species may have trouble keeping up.

15 Dec 2020

Scientists identify biosynthetic genes involved in the production of usnic acid in lichens

Scientists from the Faculty of Pharmacy at the Complutense University of Madrid have headed an international study that has successfully detected a sequence of biosynthetic genes that play a key role in the synthesis of usnic acid in lichen—a kind of compound that exhibits antioxidant, antiviral, antibacterial, anticancer, and neuroprotective activity.

14 Dec 2020