All Ecology & Evolution articles – Page 9
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NewsMalaria parasite generates genetic diversity using evolutionary ‘copy-paste’ tactic
Plasmodium falciparum, a malaria parasite, uses gene conversion to produce genetic diversity in two surface protein genes targeted by the human immune system.
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NewsUnusual photosynthesis configuration in dinoflagellate may reveal secrets of success
The photosynthesis process in Prorocentrum cordatum, a globally widespread species of the dinoflagellates group, is organised in an unusual configuration which may help them to better adapt to the changing light conditions in the oceans.
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NewsScientists discover 18 new species of gut microbes in search for origins of antibiotic resistance
Scientists have found 18 novel species of a type of bacteria called enterococci, which are gut microbes found in most land animals.
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NewsStudy reveals convergent evolution of algal CO2-fixing organelles
Various pyrenoid-associated proteins have been reported among the algae studied, suggesting that CO2-fixing organelles evolved independently in each algal group.
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NewsScientists reveal how first cells could have formed on Earth
A new phospholipid discovery brings researchers closer to understanding how primordial cells emerged during origin of life.
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NewsResearchers shine light into the darkness of photosynthesis
Researchers have now succeeded for the first time in visualising the copying machine of chloroplasts, the RNA polymerase PEP, in high-resolution 3D.
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NewsRNA as a common language, presented in extracellular speech-bubbles
Decoding the conversations between microbes of hypersaline environments reveals insights into the origins of complex life.
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NewsHigh resolution techniques reveal clues to early microbes in 3.5 billion-year-old biomass
A research team has found new clues about the formation and composition of the 3.5bn year old rocks of Pilbara Craton, which contain traces of the microorganisms that lived at that time.
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NewsInteractions between flu subtypes predict epidemic severity more than virus evolution
An analysis of influenza virus evolution over 22 years of flu seasons reveals the major drivers of disease transmission and epidemic severity.
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News‘Pink berries’ reveal how bacteria survive a viral epidemic
Like humans struggling to get through the COVID-19 pandemic, bacterial cells need social distancing to thwart viruses. But in some situations, such as inside elevators or within the candy-colored bacterial structures known as “pink berries,” staying apart just isn’t feasible. Source: Lizzy Wilbanks “Pink berry” bacterial structures. These ...
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NewsScientists uncover protein that evolved with infection machinery in toxoplasmosis
Researchers have identified a protein that evolved concurrently with the emergence of cellular compartments crucial for the multiplication of the toxoplasmosis pathogen.
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NewsAncient retroviruses played a key role in the evolution of vertebrate brains
Researchers have reported that ancient viruses may be to thank for myelin - and, by extension, our large, complex brains.
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NewsResearchers probe ancient partnership between moss and fungi - and endobacteria
Researchers tracking the subtle but distinct ways a moss interacted with its fungal neighbors found that these interactions came to depend on a unique addition to the cast — endobacteria within the fungi.
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NewsMicrofluidic environments alter microbe behaviors, opening potential for engineering social evolution
Microbes are social beings. Much like humans, they communicate and cooperate with each other to solve problems bigger than themselves. In a microbial community, there will even be free riders, and others that police them. So, what if researchers could influence their social evolution to promote certain ...
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NewsSyphilis-like diseases were already widespread in America before the arrival of Columbus
Researchers at the Universities of Basel and Zurich have discovered the genetic material of the pathogen Treponema pallidum in the bones of people who died in Brazil 2,000 years ago. Source: Photo: Dr. Jose Filippini Skeleton at the site in Jubuicabeira II, Brazil. This is the oldest ...
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NewsNew pieces discovered in the puzzle of first life on Earth
Researchers have found evidence dating to around 3.42 billion years ago of an unprecedentedly diverse carbon cycle involving various microorganisms.
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NewsVirus that infected the first animals now essential for development of the human embryo
All animals have evolved thanks to the fact that certain viruses infected primitive organisms hundreds of millions of years ago. Researchers now describe the role played by these viruses in a process that is absolutely vital for our development.
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NewsComplex green organisms emerged a billion years ago
Using modern gene sequencing data, researchers investigating the evolutionary history of morphological complexity in streptophytes have pinpointed the emergence of multicellularity to almost a billion years ago.
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NewsCooler conditions spur bacterial prey species to become the predator
In a new study, two species of bacteria grown in a lab reversed their predator-prey relationship after one species was grown at a lower temperature.
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NewsShallow soda lakes show promise as cradles of life on Earth
A new study reports that a shallow “soda lake” in western Canada shows promise for matching the requirements for the emergence of life.