#Genetics and evolution

[reasonsforhope]

"Similar to the expeditions of a hundred or two hundred years ago, the Tara Pacific expedition lasted over two years. Its goal was to research the conditions for life and survival of corals. The ship crossed the entire Pacific Ocean, assembling the largest genetic inventory conducted in any marine system to date. The team's 70 scientists from eight countries took around 58,000 samples from the hundred coral reefs studied.

The first results of the analysis have now been published in Nature Communications. This largest-ever data set collection on coral reef ecosystems is freely available, and for years to come, will be the basis for elucidating the living conditions for corals and finding a way for them to survive climate change.

Important first results of the expedition show that global microbial biodiversity is much higher than previously thought. The impacts of the environment on evolutionary adaptation are species-specific, and important genes in corals are duplicated.

Global biodiversity ten times higher than assumed

Coral reefs are the most biologically diverse marine ecosystem on Earth. Although they cover only 0.16% of the world's oceans, they are home to about 35% of known marine species. Using a genetic marker-based data set, the researchers found that all of the globally estimated bacterial biodiversity is already contained in the microorganisms of coral reefs.

"We have been completely underestimating the global microbial biodiversity," says Christian Voolstra, professor of genetics of adaptation in aquatic systems at the University of Konstanz and scientific coordinator of the Tara Pacific expedition. He says the current estimate of biodiversity (approximately five million bacteria) is underestimated by about a factor of 10.

Impacts of the environment on evolutionary adaptation are species-specific

The 32 archipelagos studied serve as natural laboratories and provide a wide range of environmental conditions, allowing scientists to disentangle the relationships between environmental and genetic parameters across large spatial scales. This led to another important finding: The effects the environment has on evolutionary adaptation trajectories of corals are species-specific. To determine this, the researchers examined the telomeres, the ends of chromosomes that are the carriers of genetic information, for the first time.

In humans, the length of telomeres decreases during life; that is, with an increasing number of cell divisions, suggesting that biological age is closely linked to the length of telomeres. Researchers on the Tara Pacific expedition have now found that the telomeres in very stress-resistant corals are always the same length. "They apparently have a mechanism to preserve the lengths of their telomeres," Voolstra concludes...

Important genes are duplicated

Research data from the Tara Pacific expedition brought to light that the long life of some coral species may have yet another reason: the duplication of certain genes. Many important genes are present multiple times in the genome. The researchers were able to determine this through sequencing of coral genomes employing a new high-resolution technique.

This technique, called long-read sequencing, makes it possible to not only determine the set of genes present, but also to look at their order in the genome. According to Voolstra, the pervasive presence of gene duplication could be a possible explanation for why corals can live for thousands of years despite being exposed, for instance, to extreme UV radiation in shallow waters.

The entire data collection is freely accessible

All data sets are openly accessible and fully described with accompanying physical and chemical measurements to provide them as a scientific resource to all researchers.

"This is unique," Voolstra says. "It is the largest data set collection on coral reefs ever collected and it is completely open access." The aspiration is that this data collection will serve as a foundation and inventory to guide future study of coral reefs worldwide for many years."

-via Phys.org, June 26, 2023

#coral #coral reef #ocean #ocean conservation #biodiversity #microbiology #genetic diversity #genetic research #conservation #telomeres #genetics #climate change #evolution #ocean life #open access #good news #hope

[mindblowingscience]

Fur is a defining feature of being a mammal. But bald is beautiful for several mammalian weirdos, including dolphins, mole rats, elephants, and of course, humans. Not to mention a handy adaptation.

Yet all our ancestors had plenty of fur. According to a new study on relatively hairless mammals, we still have the means to be hirsute. Those genes, it seems, have simply been switched off.

In their hunt through nearly 20,000 coding genes, and 350,000 regulatory ones, compared across 62 different mammal species, University of Pittsburgh geneticist Amanda Kowalczyk and her team found a mechanism behind these fascinatingly parallel changes.

This re-emergence of a trait across unrelated lineages is known as convergent evolution. In the case of hairlessness, it evolved independently at least nine different times along different branches of the mammalian family tree.

The selection pressures for this lack of hair are just as varied as the species that have lost their fuzz. For elephants, it's a way to lose heat faster; for marine mammals, being sleeker means less resistance moving in the water; and for us, well, there are possibly multiple contributing pressures, including thermoregulation and reduction of parasites.

Continue Reading

#Science #Stem #evolution #animals #genetics #biology

[ancientorigins]

Groundbreaking genetic research reveals a near-extinction event of our human ancestors around 930,000 years ago. From 100,000 breeding couples to just 1,280!

#evolution #human genome #ancestors #genetics #extinction #population #climate change #human evolution #ancient #history #ancient origins

[typhlonectes]

Mutated Gene That Causes Webbed Limbs in Humans May Have Given Bats Wings

A key genetic mutation—harmful in humans—may have opened the sky to bats

Bats have done something no other mammal ever has: the leathery-winged beasts evolved powered flight thanks to specialized membranes called patagia connecting their limbs and digits to the rest of their body. A new study of bat embryos in BMC Biology reveals a crucial step in how these once land-bound animals evolved to fly—and it may involve a gene known for detrimental mutations in humans...

Read more: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/mutated-gene-that-causes-webbed-limbs-in-humans-may-have-given-bats-wings

#bat #bats #evolution #genetics #mammal #aniamls #nature #science

[a-dinosaur-a-day]

Genuine question re: molecular clocks, coming from a geologist who has to have some kind of knowledge on palaeontology and evolution but obviously isn't an expert.

Could you elaborate on these approaches being unreliable? I was a bit surprised to see an entire field dismissed and I'm genuinely curious. Obviously they aren't infallible, but since the geological record obviously isn't either, and you'll almost never find the true "first" and "last" occurences of certain groups/lineages/species/whatever, I always thought it was interesting to have some other independent approach. I usually assume the true time of origination is somewhere in between the molecular clock date and the first fossil occurence. Is that bad practise? Are there any timescales on which you'd say molecular clocks are semi reliable?

Sorry for the long ask!

So like, the reason I say molecular clocks are bullshit is because they rely on a lot of assumptions. A lot. And most of them are bad assumptions. They'll assume a fixed rate for genetic change, or they'll try to come up with a mathematical model for more dynamic change, etc.

But genetic mutations are happening constantly, and only some show up in the genome over generations. Only some are passed down. And sometimes, one genetic mutation will cancel out another one, etc.

Between the fact that there are too many variables in how much genetic drift occurs over time *and* the fact that, by their own methodology, molecular clocks can really only use extant taxa, a lot of external variables that can affect the estimates are just not being accounted for

So I'd say molecular clocks work on very small timescales, but not bigger ones. Like that estimation for Neornithine divergence that pushes it to 100 mya? Probably too old. But using it as a "it didn't happen any older than this" benchmark works, I just wouldn't go around saying "Neornithines evolved 100 mya". So yeah, your practice of assuming true first occurrence is between molecular estimation and first fossil occurrence is a good one, just know the molecular estimation may be way, way off.

#molecular clocks #genetics #evolution #paleontology

[creature-wizard]

New Age beliefs that derive from racist pseudoscience

Race science, or so-called “scientific racism,” was essentially developed by privileged white people who were really convinced that their prejudices would be borne out by scientific fact. It has a long and complicated history, but to really oversimplify things, some rich assholes decided to divide people up into “races” based on phenotypical differences, and attribute differences in culture to differences in genes. Racists have spent many years ignoring and distorting facts to defend this baloney (Shaun’s video on The Bell Curve is worth checking out on this), and many racists today are trying to make it an acceptable belief.

New Age developed during the 19th and 20th centuries, a time period when these kinds of beliefs were very popular and were being used to justify everything from forced poverty to genocide.

All spiritual belief systems are products of their environments, no exceptions. New Age and its associated alien lore incorporated quite a few of these beliefs, including:

Different races, though able to produce fertile offspring together, actually have completely different evolutionary origins (polygenics).

The purpose of evolution is to produce higher and better lifeforms.

Some races are more evolved than others, and are thus qualified and obligated to guide “lower” races toward enlightenment.

Some races are naturally more gifted in certain areas than others.

Some people born today are the “next step” of evolution and are meant to lead the rest of us toward improvement.

Evolution can go “backwards.” Races can become degenerate or “regress.”

Entire races can be so genetically prone to selfish, manipulative behavior that the only solution is genocide.

We could live in a utopia if it wasn’t for members of genetically backward races mucking things up.

Because these beliefs are typically applied to alien races rather than human ones, the racism can be easy to miss. And yet, it’s no coincidence that the Pleiadians, considered to be one of the most advanced and civilized of alien races, are typically imagined as tall, slender, and pale.

So yeah, always keep your eyes open and be very wary if you see this being pushed in any spiritual context.

#new age #racism #eugenics #genocide #aliens #extraterrestrials #spiritual eugenics #genetic essentialism #genetics #dna #evolution #spirituality #religion #pseudoscience

[deva-arts]

I've been thinking about their anatomy again and decided to try drawing skeletons from memory ehehe

Nate and Amon! Lol I need to work harder on my skeletal anatomy but this certainly gives an idea on how their skellies look! Nate's base form has four eyesockets. Freaky!

While Amon is relatively straightforward bone-wise, I got some yucky nervous system sketch below the cut for Nate:

Nathaniel, like most psychic variants, also has a big large brain that is more susceptible to complications from traumatic injury. And four eyeballs that are linked in pairs to each hemisphere of the brain. Shifters tend to have a lot more development in their parietal lobe, which deals with body input, body image, movement, spatial awareness, and a whole lot of other functions.

The spinal cord is also thicker in most shifters thanks to the additional influx of information that is processed. Both sides of his variation give him additional nervous input, allowing for him to be the extrasensory blue quadfocal elf man we know and love!

#devarambles #nathanieltag #amontag #This also implies that there are variants that are malformed to the point of genetic dysfunction. Which there are- and plenty. #While humanoid anatomy tends to seek out 'evolution' in the form of DNA replication and replacement #Many variants that are forced to receive different splices or abilities can get into messy complications. #Maybe DON'T give the pyrokinetic variant a splice that will make her vulnerable to burns. Don't make the alloy shifter allergic to metal et #i just really love anatomy and i hope you can bear with it even though it is super unrealistic ahah

[serenaluna15]

Art done by @rosetta222

Ree! My All Tomorrows oc! She looks so good.

Giving@rosetta222 a shoutout for this lovely piece! Give her a dm if you want a commission as well.

#her name is Clara-Marie #she’s what I’m going to call an Accursed #the belief is that they are people punished by the gods #for a failed rebellion #in reality #they’re individuals #with highly recessive genetic traits that weren’t fully wiped out by the Qu #for Clara-Marie #that would be her black sclera and opposable thumb hands #but even wilder traits can occur #from neon/metallic furs colors #to a fully human anatomy #lore #biology #speculative fiction #speculative evolution #all tomorrows #killer folk #killer folk oc #all tomorrows oc

[aut2imagineart]

I had to put in a lot of time and work for this piece but I was set on this concept.  Just like how I created various posthuman species for my Centauri universe, I wanted to create a bunch of variants of for another major group in said universe, the Uplifted (hybrid animals with human level sapience).  If humans need to modify/evolve to survive in different planets, it would make sense that the uplifted would need to do so as well in some cases.  What I have are the cases where I imagine the most notable changes would occur.

The top row are the uplifted modified for high gravity environments.  The Avian Parogions would have stronger bone structures and walk on their wings for additional support but wouldn't be too impacted by high gravity due to their lighter mass.  Ironically, the higher air pressure on high gravity worlds would make flight easier for them.  The mammoth-like Behemoths would have a more challenging time in high gravity.  They counteract this by using their tusks and trunks as additional support that functions like a sled while their more flexible feet shuffles across the ground eliminating the need to lift their legs.  The Dolphopods normally wouldn't be effected by gravity as they are normally in water and use technology to move on land.  For high gravity worlds, locomotive technology is more problematic so the Dolphopods would be modified to have more flattened bodies that move across land similar to slugs and mudskippers.  The Great Apes would be quadrapedic like Hi-G humans would which makes them resemble their less sapient ancestors.

The second row are low gravity inhabitants (with the exception of the Dolphopod).  Low gravity Behemoths have a lighter build that makes them more resemble camels and large antelopes.  Though adapted for lower gravity, they can tolerate earth gravity due to retaining sufficient bone and muscle density.  Low gravity Parogions are largely similar to their base counterparts save for longer legs and proportionately larger wings to fly in thinner air pressure.  Great apes in low gravity, like the Behemoths, possess a lighter build making them resemble gibbons from Earth with similar acrobatic agility.  The Dolphopod depicted in the second row isn't modified for low gravity as there wouldn't be a need for it.  Instead it's designed for fully terrestrial environments such as desert worlds, becoming a tripod with it's modified flippers and tail.

The third row are aquatic variants of which the dolphopods are excluded as they're naturally marine.  All of them possess both gills and lungs as well as retain the ability to move on land for adaptive flexibility.  The aquatic behemoth's physiology resemble an extinct order of marine mammals called the Desmostylia, while the aquatic Parogions resemble penguins and the aquatic Great Apes are more frog-like.

The last row are the super soldier variants of the uplifted, part of a group I call the Irradiated.  Each member of the Irradiated is genetically and cybernetically modified to be at their peak physiology and able to withstand extreme environments including hi-radiation (hence the name).  I have each of them partially armored to showcase some of their distinct physical features and are to scale with all the other uplifted (the irradiated Behemoth stands at 5.2m or 17.1ft at the shoulder).

Some of these designs may evolve over time and I might include more if I can think of any unique designs with a good reason for them.

As always, comments and critiques are welcome.

#my art #digital art #digital color #digital illustration #creature design #character design #speculative biology #speculative evolution #science fiction #scifi #hybrids #animals #genetic modification #ape #elephant #bird #dolphin #mammals #avian #cephalopod #aquatic #high gravity #low gravity #radiation #super soldier #uplifted #concept art #conceptual #concept #concept design

[littlepawz]

I am once again blown away by Mother Nature. I just spent a few minutes looking for insects among the leaves on this hand before realizing that they are ALL insects. Scientists suggest the insects began to mimic the appearance of leaves, flowers, and twigs thanks to random genetic mutations and it has allowed them to hide away in vegetation to escape predators for millions of years. 

(Were you able to find Oakleaf Butterfly, Orchid Mantis, Stick Insect and 2 Leaf Insects in the above photo?) 

#Evolution #nature #insects #leaf insects #stick insect #orchid mantis #oakleaf butterfly #genetic mutations #evading predators

[ruthlesslistener]

Hello everyone I am in a good mood so here is your reminder that race, much like gender, is entirely a socially constructed concept* rather than a biological one! Despite the plague of eugenicists perpetually trying to use the field of genetics to push their narratives about 'superior' races or ingrained differences between groups of people, actual genetic studies almost always show that specific traits tied to different groups of people are only common due to bottlenecking effects during the great out of Africa migration- that is to say, all of the different phenotypes (visual characteristics) we see in different groups of people are indeed all present within humans as a whole, certain traits simply become more common in different areas because genetic variation was limited as we moved away from each other, making those traits more concentrated in specific regions. But the out of Africa event was incredibly recent in evolutionary history, meaning that actual genetic divergence between groups (ie, adaptive mutations accumulated over time) are incredibly rare. Genetic studies and surveys also suffer from a frankly incredible amount of bias with people of European/Scandinavian descent making up most of the databank, which means that lots of the supposed 'differences' we see (and also the accuracy level of genetic testing) are conclusions being drawn from a very very VERY biased data set. However, as the field of genetics advances and more participants are becoming interested in the study, we're seeing a lot more similarities across the board than differences- the differences are really the exception, not the rule

So basically: that popular saying of how we're all brothers, sisters, and cousins really isn't all that inaccurate. Concentrations of specific traits pulled from a pool aren't the creation of new divergences, much in the way that you wouldn't argue that a mostly-green selection of skittles drawn from a large variety pack means that they're a seperate kind of candy from the rest of the skittles

(This does not mean that the social concept of race is not real or is unimportant because it is socially constructed; it simply means that there is no 'unbiased/logically scientific' answer to racial superiority arguments because simply put, these arguments are all bullshit with no actual data to back them up.)

#this is all shit i learned in my evolution and human genetics classes but fuck its making me emotional #aughfhfhdh i love genetics

[mindblowingscience]

A small international team of molecular and evolutionary scientists has discovered that male yellow crazy ants (also known as long-legged ants) have two sets of DNA throughout their bodies. In their paper published in the journal Science, the group describes the unique find and discusses possible reasons for it. Daniel Kronauer with The Rockefeller University has published a Perspective piece in the same journal issue discussing the work by the team and suggests that the unique genetic feature of the ants may explain why they are such a successful invasive species.

Prior research had shown anomalies in crazy yellow ant genetics, but until now, it was not clear what was behind apparent discrepancies between queens, males and worker ants. To clear up the mystery, the researchers conducted population genetic and phylogeographic studies of specimens collected from sites across Asia.

They discovered that male yellow crazy ants have two separate genetic lineages—no fusion between maternal and paternal nuclei occurs; thus, both remain active in all males of the species....

Continue Reading

#science #stem #nature #biology #genetics #evolution #yellow crazy ants

[ancientorigins]

The study of genetics has reshaped our understanding of human history, particularly for indigenous communities like the Blackfoot people of North America. Recent advancements in DNA analysis have unveiled remarkable insights into the ancestral ties of modern populations with ancient peoples.

In a groundbreaking study, genetic scientists partnered with representatives of the indigenous Blackfoot nation to explore the genetic lineage of their people. Published in the journal Science Advances, the research unveils an unexpected relationship between contemporary Blackfoot individuals and some of the earliest inhabitants of the Americas.

Through comprehensive analysis, the team identified a previously undiscovered ancient lineage within the Blackfoot genome, dating back approximately 18,000 years. This discovery sheds light on the unique evolutionary journey of the Blackfoot people, challenging traditional assumptions and connecting them to the dawn of indigenous presence in North America.

#DNA #Blackfoot #Native American #evolution #genetics

[typhlonectes]

Mice could someday become venomous, suggests study on the evolution of oral venom systems

Snakes and mammals share common genetic building blocks necessary for producing venom.

What do cuttlefish, scorpions, centipedes, snakes, and primates called slow lorises have in common? All evolved the relatively rare ability to produce venom — chemical toxins that kill or incapacitate other animals through bites or stings. And in a few thousands years, there’s a chance that scientists will add mice to that list. “Oral venom systems evolved multiple times in numerous vertebrates enabling the exploitation of unique predatory niches,” the researchers noted. “Yet how and when they evolved remains poorly understood. Up to now, most research on venom evolution has focused strictly on the toxins.” In the new study, published in the journal PNAS, researchers instead focused on the gene-regulating networks associated with the production of venom in snakes. Because venom is a complex mixture of proteins, venom-producing animals have evolved a molecular system that’s capable of properly folding chains of amino acids in a highly specific way. Without this, animals wouldn’t be able to withstand the cellular stress caused by producing venom...

Read more: Mice could someday become venomous, suggests study on the evolution of oral venom systems - Big Think

photograph by George Shuklin

#mouse #rodent #mammal #animals #nature #evolution #genetics #science #venomous

[the-hilda-librarians-wife]

*wakes up feverish and covered in sweat* no but what if different hair colours/colour distribution in the Hilda universe ARE linked to witchcraft ability but also not linked at all? What if witches are bound to develop them eventually or something and then some humans, like Hilda, have some sort of gene or adaptation that simply mimics the way a witch would look so that the individual that has them is protected from potential harm in a sort of batesian mimicry inside of the same species????? What then?????? *passes out*

#@ Luke pearson: your childrens show? yeah the cute one with the friendship themes? i scienced it poorly #yeah no I made all sorts of bad explanations for things that aren’t meant to be overanalysed #sorry #anyway! there’s some part of me that never accepted the hair colours never being explained in universe #so I make my own explanations :) #hilda the series #hilda netflix #kaisa hilda #Hilda (Hilda) #also I LOVE Batesian mimicry. I love evolution. I love genetics. I love science SO MUCH 😭😭

[ihavea-natural-curiosity]

when you have a teacher who actually believes in you, listens to you, talks to you, and actually notices and applies your accommodations instead of just using you as a behavior buffer or pretty much ignoring you bc you’re the smart, quiet kid >>>>>>>>>>>>>

#i actually love my english teacher #she listened to my mildly annoying rant abt poisonous birds #convergent evolution and genetics #and instead of telling me to sit down or doing the annoying adult thing of mhm yeah that’s cool #she told me abt the genetics course and said i was one of the few smart enough for it #burnt out gifted kid #gifted kid syndrome #gifted kid