Tag Archives: natural selection

Microbes can shape host evolution, even without perfect transmission from parent to child

Posted on January 7, 2022 by Amy McDermott

Termites need certain gut bacteria to digest wood. Aphids require the bacteria Buchnera to provide essential amino acids. Many microbes affect host traits related to survival and reproduction. But how exactly the microbiome might shape evolution is a mystery. The … Continue reading →

Mutations in metabolic genes can cause antibiotic resistance

Posted on March 5, 2021 by Amy McDermott

A recent study in Science reveals a novel avenue by which genetic changes make bacteria resistant to drugs: mutations in genes involved in cellular metabolism, including some that convert food into energy. “The genes were known; their involvement in metabolism … Continue reading →

Categories: Journal Club | Medical Sciences | Microbiology | Tagged antibiotic resistance, antibiotics, E. coli, genes, metabolism, mutation, natural selection, sucA | 1 Comment

A combination of living and nonliving selective forces drive local adaptation across species

Posted on March 20, 2020 by Amy McDermott

Both living and nonliving factors can interact to shape local adaptation, according to a recent study in The American Naturalist. The metaanalysis also entailed the use of a method, borrowed from the social and medical sciences, that identified common themes and research gaps … Continue reading →

Categories: Ecology | Evolution | Journal Club | Tagged abiotic, biotic, herbivory, local adaptation, metaanalysis, natural selection | Leave a comment

Molecular evidence supports Darwin’s adaptationist view, informing the debate over what drives evolution

Posted on February 28, 2020 by Amy McDermott

Myriad genetic differences distinguish the genomes of two species. What fraction of those differences arises by positive natural selection versus random genetic drift is a central question and topic of debate in evolutionary biology. A recent study in Nature Ecology … Continue reading →

Categories: Evolution | Genetics | Tagged adaptation, natural selection, negative selection, neutral theory of evolution, positive selection | Leave a comment

By separating life stages, metamorphosis may circumvent harmful evolutionary tradeoffs

Posted on July 30, 2019 by Jessica P. Johnson

There’s no guarantee evolution will bestow the best version of every trait. The benefits of one trait may impose a cost when an unfavorable trait, correlated genetically, comes along for the ride. In a recent study on wood frogs (Rana sylvatica) … Continue reading →

Journal Club: A new take on why tumors develop drug resistance

Posted on June 26, 2015 by Charles Choi

Cancer’s notorious resistance to therapy is often explained as the result of natural selection of newly mutating cells. Cancer-killing drugs wipe out nearly all of a tumor’s cells, but random mutations may allow for drug resistance in some cells, and … Continue reading →

Journal Club: Newly found mutation contributes to irregular chromosome number, a major cause of pregnancy loss

Posted on May 7, 2015 by Charles Choi

When a baby does not make it to term, an irregular number of chromosomes in the embryo is often the root cause. The phenomenon, known as aneuploidy, is surprisingly common: it can be detected in roughly three-quarters of human embryos … Continue reading →