Articles tagged with Evolutionary Developmental Biology
Researchers from Japan discovered that firebrats, an old insect lineage, have a midgut epithelium derived solely from yolk cells. This finding suggests the involvement of bipolar formation likely originated in Pterygota rather than Dicondylia.
A newly described species of pachycephalosaur, Platytholus clemensi, has been found to have a keratin bristle structure atop its dome. The discovery was made using CT scans and microscopic analyses of fossilized slices through the skull.
A new evolutionary model suggests that Homo sapiens originated in Africa with at least two divergent branches that continued to mix. This 'weakly structured stem' contributed to the formation of an ancestral African human group, which then branched off into populations living within and outside Africa.
Researchers evolved single-celled snowflake yeast into massive multicellular organisms over 3,000 generations. The yeast grew larger and stronger, with novel material properties, due to a unique biomechanical mechanism of entanglement where cells wrapped around each other.
A study from Dartmouth College found that athletes' physique is adapted to shedding or retaining heat in certain climates, affecting their performance in Ironman events. Taller, leaner runners excel in warm climates, while stockier builds fare better in colder climates.
The study of nematodes' body size can inform scientists' understanding of cellular growth, with the goal of discovering novel genes that control cell size and potential targets for cancer treatment. Nematodes are a model species for biological studies due to their quick growth rate and ability to produce hundreds of eggs.
Researchers analyzed octopus and squid sensory receptors to discover new families of chemotactile receptors that drive distinct behaviors in the environment. These findings provide insights into the molecular basis of novelty across levels of biological organization.
Researchers at HKU use single-cell transcriptomic data and phylostratigraphy to estimate the evolutionary origin of different cells in C. elegans. They find significant variation in transcriptome age among cell types, revealing insights into adaptation and developmental patterns.
Scientists studied how the marsupial sabertooth's wide-set eyes and large canines affected its vision, finding that it could achieve about 70% visual field overlap through morphological compensation. This allowed it to be a successful active predator despite having orbits not favorably positioned for 3D vision.
Researchers used demographic modeling to reconstruct wheat's evolutionary history during the Holocene, revealing its origins near the Caspian Sea and slow speciation process. The study also found that crop relatives are valuable for breeding resilient crops but face decline due to changes in human diets and climate change.
Researchers found that smaller dinosaurs grew rapidly, while larger ones grew slowly, challenging the idea that growth rate determines body size. The study also discovered that changes in growth timing can impact traits such as offspring size and susceptibility to predators.
A single gene controls a switch between two alternative cell fates in a species of sea anemone, enabling the transition from a piercing cell to a sticky cell. This finding suggests that the nematocyte cell may have evolved from a spirocyte thanks to the development of the NvSox2 gene.
A recent study in Developmental Biology reveals the evolution of the chordate body plan from an echinoderm common ancestor. The research identifies key gene expression patterns and transcription factors that led to the development of the chordate nervous system, lateral mesoderm, and Spemann's organizer.
Researchers found no relationship between growth rate and body size in theropod dinosaurs, with some giants growing slowly and smaller ones rapidly. This study opens the door to future investigations into how animals regulate their growth.
Daurian redstarts move their nests closer to human settlements when cuckoos are around to protect against brood parasitism. This strategy has been observed in a population of Daurian redstarts in northeastern China, illustrating how urbanization affects interspecific interactions.
Researchers used unconventional methods to study fruit fly phenotypes, finding that loss of epigenetic mark led to changes in behavior, gene expression, metabolism, and offspring production. This knowledge can aid in predicting ecological patterns of change in wild animal populations.
Evans' five-year grant will examine how modularity affects the evolution of complex biological structures and provide a framework for their study. The research could advance our understanding of shape change in other complex structures and have cultural and historical significance.
Researchers uncover mechanism explaining how embryos form larvae or miniature adults, correlating gene activation timing with life cycle evolution.
A team of researchers from McGill University and the Montreal Botanical Garden used photogrammetry to create 3D models of flowers, shedding light on their evolution and interaction with pollinators. The technique has the potential to revolutionize research in plant biodiversity.
A new study at the University of Tokyo has mapped the evolution and process of natural selection in Escherichia coli bacteria, creating fitness landscapes that help understand drug resistance and potential treatments. The researchers hope their results will be useful for predicting and controlling E. coli and other bacteria.
A new genus of scorpionflies has been discovered in Nepal, characterized by a spindly and extremely elongated abdomen. The males have long grasping pincers for mating, while the females lack these distinctive features, making classification more challenging.
A husband-and-wife research team at UC Riverside found a simpler gene network is involved in specifying the gut in nematodes related to Caenorhabditis elegans. The discovery was made possible by the COVID-19 pandemic, which freed up time for the researchers to explore their question of how nematodes develop their gut.
Researchers at Uppsala University have discovered a crucial DNA sequence in jawed vertebrates that plays a major role in shaping the joint surfaces during embryonic development. This finding has significant implications for understanding the evolution of vertebrate jaws, which is believed to have occurred around 423 million years ago.
A team of Duke researchers identified a group of human DNA sequences regulating genes that seem to have evolved rapidly after our family line split from that of the chimpanzees. These changes were fine-tuned over time and appear in brain development, digestion and immunity.
Researchers identified a shared conserved module in the formation of moss midribs and seed plant axillary meristems, highlighting a universal mechanism associated with evolutionary innovation. The GRAS family genes promote cell division in both structures, leading to defects when this process is compromised.
A team of Berlin scientists has successfully grown stem cells and mini-brains from Sumatran rhino skin cells, paving the way for potential use in assisted reproduction. The next step is to create sperm cells that may help save the critically endangered species from extinction.
Researchers created a detailed map of the hippocampus's connections to the rest of the brain, finding fewer links with frontal lobes but more with visual networks. This discovery may change how we think about human memory and cognition, potentially shedding light on why some primates excel at certain memory tasks.
Researchers generated induced pluripotent stem cells and cerebral organoids from the last male Malaysian Sumatran rhino, enabling study of brain development and potentially aiding in breeding program. The technology holds promise for fighting extinction of critically endangered species.
Researchers at the University of Tokyo discovered that yeast releases toxins to kill its own clones and surrounding microorganisms when starved of glucose, a phenomenon called latecomer killing. This behavior helps yeast survive mass starvation and aids in the selection of toxin-producing offspring.
Paleontologists at the University of Malaga have found that humans uniquely combine increased brain size with a juvenile cranial shape. The analysis of four new hominid fossils and modern great ape samples shows changes in cranial development, including a negative growth of the neurocranium and a positive growth of the splanchnocranium.
Researchers produced human and chimpanzee brain organoids to investigate the role of ARHGAP11B in brain evolution. The study found that the gene is essential for neocortex development, with its absence or inhibition leading to decreased levels of critical brain stem cells.
Researchers found that corals can pass somatic mutations to their offspring, which increases genetic diversity and provides a potential route for evolutionary adaptation. The discovery challenges conventional wisdom on the role of reproductive cells in evolution.
The winning image depicts a parasitic fungus infecting a fly, while other images showcase the relationships between species, biodiversity under threat, and research in action. The competition highlights the intersection of art and science, celebrating ecologists' creativity to protect the natural world.
A new study by University of Missouri and Webster University scientists finds climate change linked to decline of bumblebees in alpine regions. Warming temperatures are creating a longer growing season, allowing lower-elevation bees to migrate to alpine areas, where they struggle to adapt.
A new study reveals that four living amphibian clades, including the dominant Plethodontidae family of lungless salamanders, develop lungs as embryos but lose them as adults. This finding sheds light on the evolution of lung loss over millions of years and suggests that losing lungs may have enabled their remarkable evolutionary success.
A new study challenges a popular scenario explaining the origin of eukaryotes, suggesting that cells can grow to considerable volume without acquiring mitochondria. Researchers explore energy requirements and genome arrangement in prokaryotes and eukaryotes, revealing overlap between cell types rather than a hard boundary line.
Researchers propose that arthropod shells evolved from a common ancestral structure, contrary to the prevailing gene co-option theory. This discovery suggests that many 'novel' structures in arthropods are actually homologous and share a single origin dating back to the Cambrian period.
Researchers discovered the earliest direct evidence of brood care among insects in the Middle-Late Jurassic Daohugou Biota. Fossils of a water boatman insect showed it carrying a cluster of eggs on its left mesotibia, providing protection from predation and environmental risks.
A new study found evidence that multituberculates, an extinct group of mammals, likely reproduced in a placental-like manner. This discovery questions the long-held idea that marsupials were less advanced than placentals in terms of reproductive strategy.
Researchers found that high temperatures induce epigenetic changes in zebrafish embryos, leading to sex reversal and altering the sex ratio. This study provides insights into the mechanisms behind climate change's impact on species with genotype-by-environment sex determination.
A study published in eLife suggests that combining broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) based on viral genetics can help prevent viral escape and rebound in HIV treatment. The researchers identified a combination of three bNAbs, PG9, PGT151, and VRC01, which reduces the chance of viral rebound to less than 1%.
A new study reveals that the Hippo signaling pathway is responsible for forming the body axis in Hydra, a process also controlling tissue growth and morphogenesis. This breakthrough discovery sheds light on the evolutionary origins of the body axis in animals.
A new study suggests that voluntary imagination, rather than speech, is crucial for combinatorial language acquisition in children with language deficiencies. The research found that children who engaged in a voluntary imagination intervention showed significant improvement in language comprehension.
Scientists have discovered evidence that yunnanozoans are the oldest known stem vertebrates, with cellular cartilages in the pharynx similar to those found in modern vertebrates. The team's findings support the evolutionary placement of yunnanozoans at the very basal part of the vertebrate tree of life.
Researchers found that socially isolated bumblebees exhibited an increase in affiliative behavior, unlike expected aggression. The brain development of isolated bees showed similarities with group-reared bees, suggesting controlled chaos in the absence of social environment.
A recent study published in PLOS Biology suggests that 'selfish chromosomes' may be the reason behind the high number of human embryo deaths. The research found that most fertilized eggs die early on due to chromosomal errors, and even those that survive may not reach term due to a process called centromeric drive. However, the study a...
Scientists studied embryonic development in fish and cartilaginous fish, revealing that the jaw shares a common developmental origin with the gill. The findings support the theory that the jaw evolved by modification of an ancestral gill, which was previously considered controversial.
A new species of sea anemone has been discovered off the coast of Japan, forming a symbiotic relationship with the hermit crab. The anemone attaches itself to the crab's shell using a hard shell-like secretion, while the crab taps and pinches the anemone to move it to its new shell.
A research team has generated a single-cell atlas for amphioxus, a basal chordate species, providing insights into its developmental program and the origin of vertebrates. The study's findings reveal similar developmental trajectories and regulatory networks in amphioxus and other chordate model organisms.
Research on wild Assamese macaques reveals that their gut bacteria composition changes uniquely with age, despite similar lifestyles. This finding suggests that the process is part of natural aging and not due to lifestyle changes, with potential implications for developing personalized therapies against intestinal diseases.
A new study by the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus explores the effects of multiple mutations in SARS-CoV-2 variants. The findings suggest that certain mutations work together to improve virus fitness, making it challenging for antibody treatments to neutralize new variants.
A new study examines mathematical models designed to draw inferences about how evolution operates at the level of populations of organisms. The researchers conclude that such models must be constructed with care, avoiding unwarranted initial assumptions and weighing existing knowledge.
A new fossil discovery solves the giraffe evolutionary mystery by revealing that long necks evolved as a weapon in male courtship competition. The unique characteristics of the fossil, including its disc-like ossicone and complex joints, suggest an extreme adaptation for high-speed head-to-head impact.
Researchers discovered that ancient retroviruses embedded in human genome can undergo retrotransposition into iPS cells, potentially posing a risk for regenerative medicine. The study found that HERV-K is expressed in SOX2-expressing cells and may cause cancer and neurological diseases by altering gene expression profiles.
Researchers used high-resolution micro-CT scans to reveal key features in Palaeospondylus fossils, placing it as an early ancestor of tetrapods. The study resolves long-standing evolutionary mysteries, including the lack of teeth and dermal bones in the fossil record.
Researchers discovered that moss cells can form mobile spindles during mitosis, moving like animal cells. This unusual process suggests a tug-of-war between microtubules and actin filaments to position the spindle, similar to animal cells.
Researchers at DTU Compute and DIKU have developed a machine learning model that can map the potential of proteins, enabling the biotech industry to accelerate the development of new proteins. The model generates a picture of how proteins are linked, allowing for the identification of closely related proteins with desirable properties.
A study by Kyoto University reveals that crickets' wings form from the lateral tergum of their wingless ancestors. The researchers used gene knockouts and microsurgery to identify key cell types involved in wing formation.
Human activity on Hainan Island is causing changes in the body shapes and diets of tropical birds, resulting in biotic homogenisation. Despite efforts to protect biodiversity, the island's unique ecosystem is being affected by large-scale economic and land-use changes.
A study by Kyoto University researchers reveals that human fetuses develop slower shoulder growth before birth, alleviating complications during delivery. This adaptation allows for a safer passage through the birth canal, reconciling the incompatibility between wide shoulders and narrow pelvis.