Scientists at the Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease have discovered the first genetic link to the evolution of two, rather than one, pumping chamber in the heart, which is a key event in the evolution of becoming warm-blooded. picked by bernardblack 3 months ago

The Human Genome Project revealed that only a small fraction of the 3 billion “letter” DNA code actually instructs cells to manufacture proteins, the workhorses of most life processes. This has raised the question of what the remaining part of the human genome does. How much of the rest performs other biological functions, and how much is merely residue of prior genetic events? Evolut... read full post picked by Blankspace73 2 years ago

Using supercomputers to compare portions of the human genome with those of other mammals, researchers at Cornell have discovered some 300 previously unidentified human genes, and found extensions of several hundred genes already known. The discovery is based on the idea that as organisms evolve, sections of genetic code that do something useful for the organism change in different ways. picked by AutumnLotus 2 years ago

While it is well understood that the evolution of new genes leads to adaptations that help species survive, gene loss may also afford a selective advantage. A group of scientists has investigated this less-studied idea, carrying out the first systematic computational analysis to identify long-established genes that have been lost across millions of years of evolution leading to the human species. picked by AutumnLotus 2 years ago

Scientists say they have seen one of the fastest evolutionary changes ever observed in a species of butterfly. picked by AutumnLotus 2 years ago