Articles tagged with Vertebrates
Researchers used rotting fish to understand the decomposition process, shedding light on soft-bodied creatures that existed 500 million years ago. The findings have improved the accuracy of fossil reconstructions, allowing scientists to better place early vertebrates on the evolutionary timeline.
EMBL scientists uncover counterpart of cerebral cortex in marine worm Platynereis dumerilii, a relative of the earthworm. The finding suggests that the pallium is much older than previously thought and likely evolved as an adaptation to early marine life.
A recent study found that human and other vertebrate genomes contain ancient sequences from deadly virus families, Ebola/Marburgviruses and Bornaviruses. These integrations were likely mediated by movable elements and may provide a selective advantage to the host species, potentially protecting against future infections.
Researchers from Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciencia found that making ribs is an active process in vertebrates, balanced by Hox genes. They discovered a coordinated mechanism controlling the production of both ribs and associated muscles.
Researchers from the University of Leicester used a new method to extract information from 500 million-year-old fossils, revealing that some early vertebrates may have been more complex than thought. The study found that decomposition altered characteristic anatomical features, providing clues for interpreting ancient fossils.
The Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology in Singapore joins an international effort to sequence the genomes of 10,000 species, enabling comparisons between animal and human genomes. This will help scientists understand evolutionary changes and predict responses to climate change, pollution, and disease.
Researchers at the University of Oregon have found that evolution can only go forward, as genetic mutations block paths to ancestral genes. The team resurrected ancient proteins and manipulated them to study reverse evolution, discovering that restrictive mutations act like an evolutionary ratchet, preventing reversal.
Researchers found that HDAC8 deletion causes cranial NCC deficiency, leading to skull dysmorphism and perinatal death. HDAC8 represses homeobox transcription factors that pattern the frontal skull, highlighting its crucial role in epigenetic control of vertebrate skull development.
A study published in PNAS found that the genetic toolkit for fin and limb development is linked to gill skeleton formation in sharks. This discovery provides evidence for an evolutionary connection between fins, limbs, and gills., The research suggests that common developmental programs patterned different anatomical structures.
A research team from Singapore and London has discovered that the elephant shark, a primitive deep-sea fish, possesses three cone pigments for color vision similar to humans. The finding suggests that gene duplication played a crucial role in this process, which may provide valuable insights into human genome evolution.
Researchers discovered that evolutionary changes produced improvements in molecules generating electrical signals in nerves between 550 and 400 million years ago. These innovations contributed to the evolutionary success and diversity of vertebrate animals. The study also found that the same electrical signaling molecules are an effect...
Researchers at Uppsala University shed new light on the origin of jawed vertebrates by studying the fossilized skull and jaws of Ptomacanthus anglicus, a 410-million-year-old fish. The study reveals a complex relationship between this ancient species and modern jawed vertebrates, including humans.
Research published in the journal Genetics shows that fruit flies and humans regulate their circadian rhythms through similar cellular machinery. This discovery provides a viable animal model for circadian research and sheds light on the potential treatment of seasonal affective disorder, insomnia, and possibly some cancers.
Researchers have identified genes controlling snail shell handedness, similar to those used by humans to set up left-right asymmetry. These findings suggest that the same genetic pathway has been responsible for establishing left-right symmetry in animals for 500-650 million years.
A team led by Professor Richard Ford is awarded a $1.85M contract to continue researching biologically-inspired tactical security infrastructure (BITSI) for military computing and disaster relief operations. The project aims to build computers that can protect themselves when under attack, using biological systems as inspiration.
Researchers at Dartmouth College have discovered that microRNAs played a crucial role in the emergence of vertebrates, with diverse regulatory mechanisms driving genome assembly. The study's findings suggest that these tiny molecules were responsible for the origin of unique organs such as the liver, pancreas, and brain.
A study by Alysha Heimberg and colleagues found that microRNAs, previously considered 'junk DNA', are diverse in primitive vertebrates like sharks and lampreys, but less common in invertebrates. This discovery suggests that microRNAs played a crucial role in the evolution of complex organs unique to vertebrates.
The study reveals surprising similarities in the developing CNS of Platynereis embryos and vertebrates, suggesting that the vertebrate nervous system is probably much older than expected. This finding provides strong evidence for a theory that vertebrates and annelid CNS are of common descent.
A philosopher argues that intelligent design lacks testability due to the inability of observations to discriminate between ID claims and competing theories. He also points out that criticism of evolution is not a sufficient test for ID, and auxiliary assumptions about the designer's goals are not independently justified.
Researchers discovered that Ets1/2 transcription factor controls early heart formation in the sea squirt Ciona intestinalis. The signaling molecule FGF also plays a crucial role in this process.
Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine discovered that fruit flies' visual systems are genetically programmed and don't require neuronal activity for formation. This finding challenges the idea that brain wiring needs activity from neurons to function correctly.
Researchers found that BMPs regulate neural patterning in fruit flies and vertebrates, implying a conserved evolutionary process. A unified model of early neural development suggests that at least part of the neural patterning mechanism has been preserved from a shared ancestral organism over 500 million years ago.
Researchers discovered that octopuses generate two waves of muscle contraction to create joint-like bends in their arms, allowing for precise point-to-point movements. This human-like strategy suggests that articulated limbs controlled by joints are the optimal solution for achieving such movements.
The newly discovered Photocorynus spiniceps is not only the smallest fish and vertebrate, but also one of the most unique reproductive strategies in nature. The tiny male anglerfish, measuring just 6.2 mm, attaches to a much larger female and provides her body with everything she needs to reproduce, essentially turning her into a herma...
New analysis confirms a logarithmic relationship between population size and time-to-extinction, providing insights into extinction dynamics. The study also reveals that ten populations exhibiting 'extinction vortices' show deteriorating dynamics as extinction approaches.
Researchers have discovered that adult fruitflies have the same stem cells controlling cell regulation in their gut as humans do. This finding is significant for understanding digestive disorders, including some cancers, and developing cures. The similarity between insect and human gut stem cells suggests a common evolutionary origin.
Researchers at University College London have discovered that mesenchymal stem cells create both muscles and bones in vertebrates, with blurred boundaries between cell groups. This sheds new light on human diseases like Klippel-Feil syndrome, where these regions are often malformed.
A comparative genomics study highlights the significance of non-protein-coding DNA sequences in complex species, revealing conserved elements outside protein-coding regions. The study also introduces a new computational tool, phastCons, to identify evolutionarily conserved DNA elements.
The genome of Ciona intestinalis, a closely related sea squirt to vertebrates, is providing clues about the origins of complex biological systems in humans. The study found similarities between Ciona and human genomes, including genes involved in immune systems and heart formation.