The origin of life in light of evolution
arxiv.org/abs/2605.05464
The Origin of Life in the Light of Evolution
The origin of life is often framed primarily as a chemical problem, yet life's defining feature is evolution.arXiv.org
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Items tagged with: Evolution
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#News: Our brains are wired to hear #chimps! 🧐📢🎤🦍 #Research finds a part of #human #brains lightS up for #chimpanzee calls. We share communication roots with our cousins. Protect them! 🧬🗣️✨ #Evolution #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetectives sciencedaily.com/releases/2025…
Human brains light up for chimp voices in a way no one expected
Humans don’t just recognize each other’s voices—our brains also light up for the calls of chimpanzees, hinting at ancient communication roots shared with our closest primate relatives.ScienceDaily
Newly Discovered Stentor Species Can Learn – and May Know What Time it Is
mbl.edu/news/newly-discovered-…
And original article:
Stentor stipatus is a new unicellular species that demonstrates habituation and unique phototaxis
nature.com/articles/s41598-026…
#microbiology #evolution #ecology
Stentor stipatus is a new unicellular species that demonstrates habituation and unique phototaxis - Scientific Reports
Stentor, the genus of large trumpet-shaped ciliates, is well-known for its complex morphology and striking behaviors. Members of this genus are distributed throughout the world in a wide and diverse pool of freshwater ecosystems.Nature
A symbiotic origin of the ribosome?
"The origin of life is one of the great mysteries of science. Of the multiple unsolved problems, the origin of the translation system (the means by which the genetic code inscribed on chromosomes is converted into reliable protein sequences) remains the most enigmatic"
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How a #parasite gave up sex to find more hosts—and why its victory won't last phys.org/news/2026-01-parasite…
Host range expansion of asexual parasite can be explained by loss of adaptions in Muller’s Ratchet nature.com/articles/s41467-025…
"an asexual lineage of #Giardia managed to infect a wider range of hosts than its sexual ancestor... at a cost. Because these #parasites don't exchange genetic material, harmful mutations build up over time, leading to eventual collapse"
#Protists #Microbes #Evolution
How a parasite 'gave up sex' to find more hosts—and why its victory won't last
Australian researchers have uncovered how a particular strain of a diarrhea-causing parasite managed to infect more animal species, offering new insights into how parasitic infections emerge and spread to people.Walter and Eliza Hall Institute (Phys.org)
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Hägglund et al. employed sequence-based and structure-based search methods to investigate the origin of the anammoxosome, the only known energy-producing organelle in bacteria, and its key enzyme, the hydrazine synthase complex.
This finding that some ant queens can lay eggs of another species is astonishing. Biology is far stranger than we can possibly imagine.
nature.com/articles/d41586-025…
‘Almost unimaginable’: these ants are different species but share a mother
Ant queens of one species clone ants of another to create hybrid workers that do their bidding.Kozlov, Max
Prevalence and Dynamics of Genome Rearrangements in Bacteria and Archaea
biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/20…
#genomics #bacteria #archaea #evolution
Prevalence and Dynamics of Genome Rearrangements in Bacteria and Archaea
The genetic material of bacteria and archaea is organized into various structures and set-ups, attesting that genome architecture is dynamic in these organisms.bioRxiv
Excited to announce our article, "EvoWeaver: large-scale prediction of gene functional associations from coevolutionary signals" was just published in Nature Communications!
We demonstrate that it's possible to infer how genes work together using only sequencing data by leveraging correlated signals of evolution. Check it out at the link below!
#genomics #bioinformatics #rstats #genetics #evolution #biology
nature.com/articles/s41467-025…
EvoWeaver: large-scale prediction of gene functional associations from coevolutionary signals - Nature Communications
Despite having structures for most proteins, we still do not know their function. Here, authors introduce EvoWeaver, a de novo method to identify genes working together using evolutionary information.Nature
Species Richness and Speciation Rates for all Terrestrial Animals Emerge from a Synthesis of Ecological Theories
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#MolecularClock analysis shows #bacteria used oxygen long before widespread photosynthesis
phys.org/news/2025-04-molecula…
A geological timescale for bacterial #evolution and oxygen adaptation science.org/doi/10.1126/scienc…
"the earliest aerobic transition occurred in an ancestor of photosynthetic #cyanobacteria, indicating that the ability to utilize trace amounts of oxygen may have allowed the development of genes central to oxygenic #photosynthesis."
Molecular clock analysis shows bacteria used oxygen long before widespread photosynthesis
Microbial organisms dominate life on Earth, but tracing their early history and evolution is difficult because they rarely fossilize. Determining when exactly a particular group of microbes first appeared is especially hard.Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (Phys.org)
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Faculty position in evolutionary virology, University of Ostrava. Looks like a wonderful opportunity!
#viruses #virology #evolution #facultyhiring #academicjobs
New preprint by the group I am doing my PhD in: “Chromosomal plasticity can drive rapid adaptation in bacteria”.
This is the first chapter of Ever Vega-Cabrera's thesis and has been in the works for a long time.
biologists.social/@biorxiv_evo…
doi.org/10.1101/2024.12.11.627…
A short thread
1/5
@biorxiv_evobio #microbiology #bacteria #evolution #EvolutionaryBiology
Chromosomal plasticity can drive rapid adaptation in bacteria
Understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying rapid adaptation to stress is a fundamental question in evolutionary biology.bioRxiv
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Would highly recommend Every Living Thing by Jason Roberts - wonderful dual biography of Linnaeus and Buffon. Many fascinating anecdotes about both - especially Linnaeus, who was a bit of a character.
Modeling the mosaic structure of bacterial genomes to infer their evolutionary history
#evolution #genomics #bacteria #bioinformatics #science
Insertions and Deletions: Computational Methods, Evolutionary Dynamics, and Biological Applications buff.ly/3Zmg2JS #science #evolution #biology #genome
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New #ISEPpapers! Updated classification of the phylum Parabasalia onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/fu…
"Most are harmless or beneficial gut #symbionts of #animals, but some have turned into #parasites in other body compartments, the most notorious example being #Trichomonas vaginalis in humans."
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New #ISEPpapers! Contractile vacuoles: a rapidly expanding (and occasionally diminishing?) understanding sciencedirect.com/science/arti… by Kiran More et al.
#protists #microbes #organelles #biology #evolution #algae #parasites
Gene Transfer Among Viruses Substantially Contributes to Gene Gain of Giant Viruses buff.ly/4dbfB8l #science #evolution #biology #genome
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How #baleen #whales have adapted over past 50M years
The new study "Into the Blue: Exploring #genetic mechanisms behind the #evolution of #baleenwhales," explores key genetic adaptations of these diverse #whale species around #oceans—giving new insights into risks and opportunities for their survival. The study looks at intriguing mammals—from gigantism of largest blue and fin whales, to diving and migratory abilities of other whales: including humpbacks, minkes & gray.
phys.org/news/2024-08-blue-bal…
Into the blue: How baleen whales have adapted over the past 50 million years
The largest dataset of cetacean genes ever collated has helped Flinders University scientists deep dive into the blue to fathom the triumph of baleen whale evolution.phys.org
Evolution of evolvability in rapidly adapting populations
nature.com/articles/s41559-024…
Evolution of evolvability in rapidly adapting populations - Nature Ecology & Evolution
Evolvability modifier mutations alter the rates and benefits of future mutations, but it is difficult to predict when they will be favoured by natural selection.Nature
The SplitsTree App: interactive analysis and visualization using phylogenetic trees and networks
nature.com/articles/s41592-024…
The SplitsTree App: interactive analysis and visualization using phylogenetic trees and networks - Nature Methods
Nature Methods - The SplitsTree App: interactive analysis and visualization using phylogenetic trees and networksNature
Terrabacteria: redefining bacterial envelope diversity, biogenesis and evolution
nature.com/articles/s41579-024…
#microbiology #evolution #science
Terrabacteria: redefining bacterial envelope diversity, biogenesis and evolution - Nature Reviews Microbiology
In this Review, Gribaldo and co-workers explore the diversity and evolution of Terrabacteria and highlight their unique cell envelopes that deviate from Gram-positive and Gram-negative classifications, challenging traditional views on the bacterial c…Nature
What is the 'tree of life'?
livescience.com/planet-earth/e…
#biology #life #evolution #cladistics
livescience.com/planet-earth/e…
#biology #life #evolution #cladistics
What is the 'tree of life'?
The tree of life maps out the relationships between all living things, and it's in constant flux.Emma Bryce (Live Science)
The Last Universal Common Ancestor of Ribosome-Encoding Organisms: Portrait of LUCA
link.springer.com/article/10.1…
#evolution #microbiology #science #microbes
The Last Universal Common Ancestor of Ribosome-Encoding Organisms: Portrait of LUCA - Journal of Molecular Evolution
The existence of LUCA in the distant past is the logical consequence of the binary mechanism of cell division.SpringerLink
DNA Transposons Favor De Novo Transcript Emergence Through Enrichment of Transcription Factor Binding Motifs doi.org/10.1093/gbe/evae134 #science #evolution #biology #genome #evolgen_paper
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New #ISEPpapers! Foraging mechanisms in excavate #flagellates shed light on the functional ecology of early eukaryotes pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1073/pnas.… #protists #microbes #evolution #eukaryogenesis
Ancient microbes offer clues to how complex life evolved
phys.org/news/2024-07-ancient-…
Ancient microbes offer clues to how complex life evolved
A new study published in Science Advances reveals a surprising twist in the evolutionary history of complex life.Science X (Phys.org)
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PhD studentship to characterise aphid immune evolution. Lots to uncover in an insect group with major ecological & economic impact. Aphid systemic immunity is a black box. The interested PhD candidate will both provide one of the first detailed descriptions of aphid immunity, but also uncover principles of immune evolution.
Deadline July 29th at #UoExeter
Email or DM for details🐘 📩
m.hanson@exeter.ac.uk
Exciting research from one of my colleagues at #VirginiaTech
A late-Ediacaran crown-group sponge animal
nature.com/articles/s41586-024…
A late-Ediacaran crown-group sponge animal - Nature
Cross-hatch impressions from Ediacaran rocks in China are interpreted as having been left by a crown-group sponge fossil, Helicolocellus cantori gen. et sp. nov., characterized by an organic latticework skeleton.Nature
Jump to molecular #biology. 🧬Not all #evolution is #gradual. Life can leap forward in bursts in response to external stresses or internal #genomic changes, #epigenetics, #horizontal_gene_transfer, and massive re-arrangements.
I am very pleased to share with the mastodon community the first part of my PhD work:
High prevalence of Prdm9-independent recombination hotspots in placental #mammals
biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/20…
This work was done in collaboration with @djivanprentout Alexandre Laverré, Théo Tricou and @duret_lbbe. (1/8)
#Recombination #PopGen #Evolution #gBGC #PRDM9
High prevalence of Prdm9-independent recombination hotspots in placental mammals
In many mammals, recombination events are concentrated into hotspots directed by a sequence specific DNA-binding protein named Prdm9.bioRxiv
Stochasticity, determinism, and contingency shape genome evolution of endosymbiotic bacteria
nature.com/articles/s41467-024…
#evolution #microbiology #genomics
Stochasticity, determinism, and contingency shape genome evolution of endosymbiotic bacteria - Nature Communications
Endosymbionts often have small genomes that maintain minimal functions required to serve their hosts. This study examines cases of new endosymbiont acquisition and finds genome degeneration involves both stochastic and deterministic processes that sh…Nature
Primitive purine biosynthesis connects ancient geochemistry to modern metabolism
nature.com/articles/s41559-024…
#evolution #OriginOfLife #geochemistry
Primitive purine biosynthesis connects ancient geochemistry to modern metabolism - Nature Ecology & Evolution
Constructing a biosphere-scale model of the evolutionary history of metabolism based on >12,000 biochemical reactions, the authors show that a bottleneck in purine synthesis prevents metabolic expansion from geochemical precursors.Nature
Widespread occurrence and diverse origins of polintoviruses influence lineage-specific genome dynamics in stony corals
academic.oup.com/ve/advance-ar…
#viruses #coral #evolution #genomics
Widespread occurrence and diverse origins of polintoviruses influence lineage-specific genome dynamics in stony corals
Abstract:. Stony corals (Order Scleractinia) are central to vital marine habitats known as coral reefs. Numerous stressors in the Anthropocene are contribuStephens, Danae (Oxford University Press)
"A retroviral link to vertebrate myelination through retrotransposon-RNA-mediated control of myelin gene expression"
cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8…
I have great exaptations for this article
Happy to share the latest manuscript from our lab, in which we propose that eukaryotes evolved from a genomic chimera of Asgard archaea and giant viruses.
biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/20…
This is a controversial topic, but we believe we have strong evidence to suggest a critical viral role in eukaryogenesis.
#viruses #protists #eukaryotes #evolution #TreeOfLIfe #archaea
Chimeric Origin of Eukaryotes from Asgard Archaea and Ancestral Giant Viruses
The details surrounding the evolution of complex cells remain some of the most enduring mysteries in biology.bioRxiv
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Two lifeforms merge in once-in-a-billion-years #evolutionary event
Scientists have caught a once-in-a-billion-years evolutionary event in progress, as two lifeforms have merged into one organism that boasts abilities its peers would envy. Last time this happened, Earth got plants. The #algae Braarudosphaera bigelowii has been found to have absorbed a #cyanobacteria called UCYN-A, which may be a huge step forward for #evolution.
newatlas.com/biology/life-merg…
Two lifeforms merge in once-in-a-billion-years evolutionary event
Scientists have discovered that a once-in-a-billion-years evolutionary event is underway, as two lifeforms have merged into one organism that boasts abilities its peers would envy. Last time this happened, Earth got plants.Michael Irving (New Atlas)
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Interested in evolutionary genomics/population genomics and plant genetics? Want to do your PhD in beautiful Stockholm?
We have two 4-year PhD student positions available in my group at Stockholm University. More info, see tanjaslottelab.se
Please repost.
#evolution #genomics #popgen #distyly #CropWildRelatives #PlantGenetics #ecrchat #phd 1/4
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Fossil stingray (Cyclobatis sp.)
Upper Cretaceous. Approximately 100.5 million to 66 million years ago. When alive, this creature lived in warm, shallow seas and had a very short tail, which was fitted with a venomous stinger. Discovered in Haqil, Byblos, Lebanon. It just happens to look like an ancient space alien. #science #fossil #archeology #evolution #photo #nature #biology #wildlife