Scientists sequence genome of kind of organism central to biosphere's carbon cycle
...earchers from 26 institutions, also considered the evolutionary implications revealed by the genomic work. The research provided direct genetic confirmation of a hypothesis that diatoms evolved when a heterotroph, a single-cell microbe, engulfed what scientists say was likely a kind of red alga. The two became on...Pack-MULEs are toting a new look at plant evolution
...me surprising unexplored territory in the world of evolutionary biology. "Pack-MULEs: transposable elements mediate gene evolution in plants" may sound like a western lost in the science fiction section, but it elevates a little-considered group of elements in the genome sequence to potentially major players in...New research shows plants can shuffle and paste gene pieces to generate genetic diversity
...ies called transposable elements (TEs) can promote evolutionary change in plants. The research, published Sept. 30... of burden, Pack-MULEs may serve rice as a tool of evolutionary change. ...Study: Emission of smog ingredients from trees is increasing rapidly
...tion with Stephen Pacala, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at Princeton, as well as John Casperson of the University of Toronto, Paul Moorcroft of Harvard University and George Hurtt of the University of New Hampshire. The article is scheduled to be published later this fall in the journal Global Cha...A test case for DNA barcodes to identify species
...f sequence variations in that gene can also reveal evolutionary relationships among species. Hebert and colleagues tested the effectiveness of their genetic barcode in an extensive study of North American birds by comparing the 'species' identified from the barcode against those already established by taxonomic m...Punching the timeclock of life
...y of natural selection and speaking with prominent evolutionary biologists about his ideas. "I wanted them to tell me, 'No, you're wrong and here's why.' I never got that," he said. Longo said there are many questions that have yet to be answered through theoretical studies and a closer look at ...Researchers ID chlorophyll-regulating gene
...ate production of protochlorophyll was probably an evolutionary development designed to ensure seed survival among higher plants. Primitive plants, such as mosses and some species of fern, thrive in moist, humid environments where their spores can stay safely above the soil surface. But all higher plants...NSF awards 22 new projects for plant genome research
...ory and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, will target evolutionary genomics, the genetic mechanisms by which important traits have evolved in plants, such as the development of seeds. The second center, led by Yale University in collaboration with the University of California, Davis, will focus on using experimental...UAF scientists discover new marine habitat in Alaska
...ed in Alaska waters. More research on the species' evolutionary history is needed to be sure. The other rhodolith specimen collected by Konar and Iken is potentially a species new to science. "It does not seem to match anything we have seen," said Riosmena-Rodriguez. Riosmena-Rodriguez sa...Environmental decontamination, greenhouse gases, and the genome of a methane-loving bacterium
... fields of genomics, bioinformatics, microbiology, evolutionary biology, and molecular biology report the complete genome sequence of Methylococcus capsulatus and shed light on the metabolism and biology of this ubiquitous microbe. The genome appears well-equipped to meet the specialized needs of this methano...'Fossil genes' reveal how life sheds form and function
... the fossil record, a paleontologist can peer into evolutionary history and see the surface features that plants and animals and, occasionally, microbes have left behind. Now, scouring the genome of a Japanese yeast, scientists have found a trackway of fossil genes in the making, providing a rare look at how an o...Genes expose secrets of sex on the side
... as a monogamous species, but we're coming from an evolutionary history that's probably slightly polygamous. If we're shifting toward monogamy, it's so recent it hasn't left an imprint on our genome." Or the same reproductive behavior is continuing, but in a culturally accepted fashion, Wilder said. "The mo...Brown ecologist garners major National Science Foundation grant
... of its premier biology grants to Brown University evolutionary ecologist Johanna Schmitt, who will head up a team... team will include experts in plant, molecular and evolutionary biology, as well as ecologists, geneticists and computer scientists from Brown, Kansas State Univers...Popular Science announces Third Annual 'Brilliant 10'
... Arizona (Tucson, AZ) for his work in the field of evolutionary ecology. Brian Enquist talks about the natural world as if it were a wind-up clock: "If you take it apart, it's very complex, but there are some very simple principles that make it work." And like a master watchmaker, he is looking for a set of univ...K-State, other universities to study how climate affects plant evolution
...wyn, K-State's vice provost for research. Led by evolutionary ecologist Johanna Schmitt of Brown University, the team includes molecular biologists, evolutionary geneticists, plant modelers and computer scientists. Scientists at North Carolina State University; ...Human chromosome 5 final sequence analysis released to public
... large human regions that stay conserved over vast evolutionary distances, it strongly supports the idea that they must contain something important," said Jeremy Schmutz, the informatics group leader at SHGC. Any mutation that appeared in those conserved regions was likely to have either killed the animal or made...European common frog found to use novel mating strategy
...the caecilian. The goal is to fully understand the evolutionary tree of amphibians, all the way down to its roots. Vieites' colleagues in the studies were Sandra Nieto-Roman and Antonio Palanca of the University of Vigo, Marta Barluenga and Axel Meyer of the Lehrstuhl fur Zoologie und Evolutionsbiologie at the Un...Genetic analysis rewrites salamander's evolutionary history
...ars, we have had a very clear understanding of the evolutionary history of the largest family of salamanders, Plet...said, "this does tell us that, when reconstructing evolutionary relationships, you have to be careful which morphological features you assume are conservative and h...Can an old gene learn new tricks?
...urpose through 'reassignment' to organs undergoing evolutionary advancement. The reassignment likely comes through a shuffling of existing regulatory elements to generate new combinations that are specific to the new organ," explains Dr. Lufkin....Sugar-coated sea urchin eggs could have sweet implications for human fertility
...ertilization. The discovery, Biermann said, tells evolutionary biologists that sibling species have found different means to regulate their reproduction. "It helps to understand the process if you think of fertilization as sperm entering through several doors," she said. "In the past, we have focused on changes...