Can a taste for poison drive speciation?
...D. melanogaster, the researchers traced the flies' divergent host-plant preferences to two olfactory genes, odorant-binding protein 57e (Obp57e) and Obp57d. Their findings suggest that as the expression patterns of these genes changed in D. sechellia, the fly lost the impulse to avoid Tahitian Noni, allowing a...Do you need sex to be a species?
... into ecologically discrete species as a result of divergent selection pressures on trophi morphology? If bdelloids have experienced divergent selection, the researchers explain, they would expect to see high variation in trophi traits between...40,000-year-old skull shows both modern human and Neandertal traits
...f traits resulting from the blending of previously divergent gene pools. "The ultimate resolution of these issues must await considerations of larger samples of European early modern humans and chronologically intervening specimens. But this fossil is a major addition to the growing body of fossil, genetic a...Carnegie Mellon scientist plays key role in unveiling sea urchin genome
...ists can now compare the genomes of organisms from divergent evolutionary branches of the tree of life. By comparing sea urchin genes to human genes, scientists can better understand -- at the level of the genetic sequence -- what makes humans (and other chordates) unique. According to Ettensohn, scientists ca...Europe's leading life science researchers are to convene for the first annual EuroBioForum
...mbitious proposal aims to integrate two previously divergent fields - artificial photosynthesis in man-made systems, and photobiological H2 production in living organisms, in what is considered a truly bold scientific step. In addition to providing a clean source of fuel, the research may allow scientists to d...Erotic images prove useful in coaxing out unconscious brain activity
...ormed in between heterosexual men and women. The divergent results among the groups of study subjects provide evidence that the subjects' brains were processing the visual information in a selective manner. "Selective attention helps us to quickly process what is important while ignoring the irrelevant," ...There's much more to bees than honey
...ust been published in, Genome Research - 'A highly divergent gene cluster in honeybees encodes a novel silk family'. "Silk is an exceptionally strong material and many groups are vying to make the first artificial silk," lead author Dr Tara Sutherland says. "Most people are unaware that honeybees produce silk ...Sweet yet sophisticated: Honey bee genome lends insight into sociality, sensation and sex
... exhibited diverse expression patterns, indicating divergent physiological functions. "Our work indicates that MRJPs perform context-dependent functions," explains Maleszka. "The proteins expressed in the brain or during development will have different phenotypic implications than those consumed as nutrients...Viral marker of human migration suspect
...n than previously thought. "The most genetically divergent human populations are in Africa," said Laura Shackelton, a postdoctoral researcher at Penn State's Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics. "But, in the case of this virus, strains from European communities appear to be the most divergent." The huma...News tips from the Journal of Neuroscience
...naptobrevin-deficient mice. Cellubrevin, which has divergent N- and C-terminal domains, but a nearly identical central SNARE motif with synaptobrevin, rescued transmission. An electrostatic interaction between arginine (R) and glutamine (Q) in the "zero layer" of each SNARE was not essential because an R-Q su...HIV-1's high virulence might be an accident of evolution
...examined nef gene variants taken from a variety of divergent SIV lineages. Nef variants from the great majority of primate SIVs, including the less virulent human strain HIV-2, suppress the expression of a receptor normally found on the surface of T cells, making the immune cells less responsive to activation,...100,000 year-old DNA sequence allows new look at Neandertal's genetic diversity
...Indeed, the mtDNA from the Scladina sample is more divergent relative to modern humans than is mtDNA from recent Neandertals, suggesting that Neandertals were a more genetically diverse group than previously thought....Genetic tug of war determines sexual differentiation
...ifferent genes encoding signaling proteins and the divergent pathways they control, according to a new study led by Duke University Medical Center cell biologists. In their experiments in mice, the researchers found that two specific genes, Wnt4 and Fgf9, are in equal balance in the early stages of development...Mapping dynamic Polycomb group proteins during Drosophila development
... over time. In fact, adult male flies had the most divergent profile of PcG Response Elements (the region of chromatin where the PcG proteins bind), suggesting that some male-specific development might be regulated by these PcG proteins. The authors applied a technique known as "ChIP on chip" which identifies...On a fly's wing, scientists tally evolution's winners and losses
...g the repetition of evolution -- in animals widely divergent in time and space -- at several key levels."...Analysis highlights areas for research into genetic causes of alcoholism
...eta-analysis and were used to identify genetically divergent genes on mouse chromosome nine. "We were able to use the power of many studies to narrow thousands of candidate genes to a manageable list in a way that would have been considerably more difficult without the meta-analysis," Bergeson said. "In add...For some young fish, early gene expression is a clear harbinger of fated lifestyle
... the same life history--but being genetically very divergent and occupying different habitats--suggests that the genetic program of a given life history has been a highly selected attribute during the evolution of brown trout populations. The findings also indicate that such striking differences in gene expres...Highlights of American Chemical Society meeting in Atlanta, March 26-30
...ck and white men with prostate cancer has produced divergent responses to a potential prostate cancer drug, according to scientists from Spelman College in Atlanta. The researchers used an experimental anticancer agent called dibenzoylmethane (DBM), a natural compound derived from licorice root that has shown ...Sociality of sweat bees evolved simultaneously during climate change
...r relatives. The DNA sequencing sheds light on how divergent the various species are from each other, and the fossils allow the researchers to represent the phylogeny in terms of a timeline in millions of years. In 2002 and 2004, Danforth showed that the social evolution of the various species of halictid bees...... of the journal Nature. According to the theory of divergent molecular evolution, primordial enzymes and other ...omiscuous enzymes and other proteins evolved along divergent lines to acquire the specialized functions needed by a host organism to survive. "This process is ...