Nearly neutral theory predicts that species with higher effective population size (Ne) are better able to purge slightly deleterious mutations.
evolution
Posted inAstrobiology (general), Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Origin & Evolution of Life, Societal Issues, Space Life Science, Status Report
Accelerated Biological Evolution In Outer Space: Insights From Numerical Analysis
As humanity continues its space exploration, understanding biological evolution in extraterrestrial environments will become crucial. On Earth, organisms have adapted to new environments, and some genetic data indicate positive natural […]
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report
Previously Unknown Life Forms Discovered Within Human Microbiomes
Editor’s note: A team of researchers at Stanford University discovered objects they named “obelisks” in the human mouth and gut. The obelisks are microscopic, circular bits of genetic material that […]
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report
Fundamental Constraints To The Logic Of Living Systems
It has been argued that the historical nature of evolution makes it a highly path-dependent process. Under this view, the outcome of evolutionary dynamics could have resulted in organisms with […]
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Status Report
Nitrogenase Structural Evolution Across Earth’s History
Life on Earth is more than 3.5 billion years old—nearly as old as the age of the planet. Over this vast expanse of time, life and its biomolecules adapted to […]
Posted inBiogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extinction events, Fossils & Paleontology, Nomenclature, Systematics, Natural History, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
Extending The Chart Of Life By Nearly 1.5 billion Years
If all the world’s a stage and all the species merely players, then their exits and entrances can be found in the rock record.
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
Study Sheds Light On The Origin Of The Genetic Code
Despite awe-inspiring diversity, nearly every lifeform – from bacteria to blue whales – shares the same genetic code. How and when this code came about has been the subject of […]
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Press Release
Oxygen Is Not The Limit: Diversity And Metabolic Potential Of Globally Distributed Endosymbionts
In 2021, scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology in Bremen, Germany, reported an astonishing new form of symbiosis: They found a unique bacterium that lives inside a […]
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report
Early Ocean World Chemistry: Prebiotic Nucleoside Phosphorylation in a Simulated Deep-Sea Supercritical Carbon Dioxide-Water Two-Phase Environment
Prebiotic synthesis of complex organic molecules in water-rich environments has been a long-standing challenge. In the modern deep sea, emission of liquid CO2 has been observed in multiple locations, which […]
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report
Experimentally Measured Assembly Indices Are Required To Determine The Threshold For Life
Assembly theory (AT) aims to distinguish living from non-living systems by explaining and quantifying selection and evolution.