Microorganisms have profoundly shaped Earth’s biological and geological history, from the origins of oxygenic photosynthesis to present-day global biogeochemical cycles.
phylogeny
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Fossils & Paleontology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Nomenclature, Systematics, Natural History, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
How Did Earth’s Animal Life Transition From Aquatic To Terrestrial Environments?
The transition from aquatic to terrestrial life has been one of the most significant evolutionary challenges. This decisive process in the evolution of life on Earth required a profound renewal […]
Posted inBiophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
Jumping Genes Help Resolve The Tree Of Life
Genomes are key to unlocking life’s evolutionary history. The presence and absence of certain genetic sequences and mutations can give us clues to the order in which species diverge.
Posted inGenomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Press Release
Modern Immunity And Ancient Microbes
When you get infected with a virus, some of the first weapons your body deploys to fight it were passed down to us from our microbial ancestors billions of years […]
Posted inBiogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extinction events, Fossils & Paleontology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Microbiology & Virology, Status Report
Cretaceous Amber Inclusions Illuminate The Evolutionary Origin Of Tardigrades
Tardigrades are a diverse phylum of microscopic invertebrates widely known for their extreme survival capabilities. Molecular clocks suggest that tardigrades diverged from other panarthropods before the Cambrian, but their fossil […]
Posted inBiogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Extinction events, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Impact events, Nomenclature, Systematics, Natural History, Press Release
Mass Extinction 66 million Years Ago Triggered Rapid Evolution Of Bird Genomes
Shortly after an asteroid slammed into Earth 66 million years ago, life for non-avian dinosaurs ended, but the evolutionary story for the early ancestors of birds began.
Posted inGenomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Nomenclature, Systematics, Natural History, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
Ancient Microbes Offer Clues To How Complex Life Evolved
A new study published in Science Advances reveals a surprising twist in the evolutionary history of complex life. Researchers at Queen Mary University of London have discovered that a single-celled […]
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report
Oxygen Metabolism In Descendants Of The Archaeal-Eukaryotic Ancestor
Asgard archaea were pivotal in the origin of complex cellular life. Hodarchaeales (Asgardarchaeota class Heimdallarchaeia) were recently shown to be the closest relatives of eukaryotes. However, limited sampling of these […]
Posted inGaia - Planetary Perspectives, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Nomenclature, Systematics, Natural History, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
Untangling The Tree of Life on Earth
Two recent high-profile phylogenetic studies reached conflicting conclusions about whether snail’s closest relatives are bivalves or an enigmatic group called tusk shells. Vanderbilt phylogeneticists suggest that the cause of this […]