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Evolution

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DNA Jumps Between Animal Species. No One Knows How Often.

June 9, 2021

The discovery of a gene shared by two unrelated species of fish is the latest evidence that horizontal gene transfers occur surprisingly often in vertebrates.

RNA Brakes May Stabilize a Cellular Symbiosis

June 2, 2021

In some symbiotic partnerships, an RNA-based mechanism may sabotage the growth of greedy hosts.

Sleep Evolved Before Brains. Hydras Are Living Proof.

May 18, 2021

Studies of sleep are usually neurological. But some of nature’s simplest animals suggest that sleep evolved for metabolic reasons, long before brains even existed.

Scientists Catch Jumping Genes Rewiring Genomes

May 12, 2021

Transcription factors that act throughout the genome can arise from mashups of transposable elements inserted into established genes.

DNA’s Histone Spools Hint at How Complex Cells Evolved

May 10, 2021

New work shows that histones, long treated as boring spools for DNA, sit at the center of the origin story of eukaryotes and continue to play important roles in evolution and disease.

A Backdoor Lets the Immune System Monitor the Brain

April 28, 2021

A newfound hub of immune system activity at the back of the brain solves a century-old puzzle.

DNA of Giant ‘Corpse Flower’ Parasite Surprises Biologists

April 21, 2021

The bizarre genome of the world’s most mysterious flowering plants shows how far parasites will go in stealing, deleting and duplicating DNA.

Cells Form Into ‘Xenobots’ on Their Own

March 31, 2021

Embryonic cells can self-assemble into new living forms that don’t resemble the bodies they usually generate, challenging old ideas of what defines an organism.

Scientists Pin Down When Earth’s Crust Cracked, Then Came to Life

March 25, 2021

New data indicating that Earth’s surface broke up about 3.2 billion years ago helps clarify how plate tectonics drove the evolution of complex life.

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