Author: admin123TerRe

Unfurling fiddlehead of the Christmas fern (Polystichum acrostichoides). Credit: Jacob S. Suissa, CC BY-ND Imagine a photograph of your great-grandparents, grandparents and parents side by side. You’d see a resemblance, but each generation would look distinct from its predecessors. This is the process of evolution in its simplest form: descent with modification. Over many generations, a staggering amount of modification is possible. This is how the diversity of life on Earth came to be. This idea, though, has long been misunderstood as a path that leads in one direction toward “higher” or “better” organisms. For example, Rudolph Zallinger’s famous 1965…

Sarabosaurus dahli life reconstruction. Credit: Andrey Atuchin Mosasaurs are extinct marine lizards, spectacular examples of which were first discovered in 1766 near Maastricht in the Netherlands, fueling the rise of the field of vertebrate paleontology. Paleontologist Michael Polcyn presented the most comprehensive study to date on the early evolution and ecology of these extinct marine reptiles. On 16 December, Polcyn will receive his Ph.D. from Utrecht University for his research into the evolution of the mosasaurs. “Mosasaurs are a textbook example of macroevolution, the emergence of new and distinct groups of animals, above the level of species. Although they have…

“Fishing motor system” of frogfish uncovered. Credit: Nagoya University Characterized by their unique adaptations to extreme environments, anglerfish are known for using lures to attract prey. Researchers at Nagoya University in Japan have discovered in frogfish (a subgroup of anglerfish) a specialized motor neuron population in the first dorsal fin used for this “fishing” behavior. When the first dorsal fin evolved from a swimming and buoyancy aid to a hunting tool, motor neurons shifted their position in the central nervous system. Understanding the way motor neurons change location as their function changes has implications for our understanding of the evolution…

AT enzymes evolved with a limited copy number expansion across the ToL. Credit: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2024). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2405524121 To boost crops more efficiently in the future, the evolutionary past may hold key insights. The way that plants process nutrients has a rich back story—they rely on enzymes that have been evolving for billions of years. However, these enzymes are often loosely understood, leaving potential targets for crop engineering untouched. Research recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences bridges this gap, by tracing the evolution of a specific enzyme family called aminotransferases…

A Hirundo rustica erythrogaster from Colorado. Credit: Matt Wilkins Beauty is in the eye of the beholder—even if that beholder is a barn swallow. Depending on where the birds live, some of them may favor mates with a paler chest color while others find a redder chest more attractive. The difference in what these birds prefer when it comes to choosing a mate is helping scientists unlock one of biology’s greatest mysteries: How do new species originate? In a study led by the University of Colorado Boulder, biologists used genetic sequencing from barn swallows around the globe to provide real-time…

A new treatment is showing promise for people with high-risk smoldering multiple myeloma (SMM). This precancerous condition can progress to active multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer. High-risk SMM carries a higher likelihood of progression. Results from a phase 3 clinical trial, published in the New England Journal of Medicine and presented at this week’s American Society of Hematology meeting, demonstrated that daratumumab, a monoclonal antibody that targets CD38, a protein found on the surface of myeloma cells, significantly reduces the risk of progression to active multiple myeloma and improves overall survival compared to active monitoring. Smoldering multiple myeloma is a condition in…

Credit: Pekka Tuuri A study carried out at the University of Helsinki shows how a single gene in Atlantic salmon can dramatically influence the timing of puberty—a key factor for salmon life cycle and survival. Researchers discovered that the gene, known as vgll3, acts as a master regulator, controlling thousands of other genes involved in various aspects of salmon sexual maturation. The findings are published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. “Imagine a single switch determining whether puberty begins at age 13 or 20 in humans. Vgll3 plays a similar role in salmon, influencing traits like when…

Having a quality breakfast that provides the right amount of energy to face the day, around a quarter of daily intake, reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease. This is highlighted by a study conducted by the Hospital del Mar Research Institute and published in the Journal of Nutrition, Health and Aging. The study followed the progress of 383 participants in the PREDIMED-Plus project, a randomized clinical trial comparing the effects of a Mediterranean diet combined with physical activity versus dietary recommendations alone on cardiovascular disease. No previous study had analyzed the impact of energy intake and the nutritional quality of…

In what UC Berkeley researchers said was the “largest empirical investigation of non-human inequity aversion,” a team reconstructed data analyses to add depth to the concept of fairness. Animals might experience something like jealousy in some circumstances, they said. But it’s nothing at all like what humans feel. Credit: Dulce Wilson/Unsplash It’s a question that has puzzled thinkers for centuries: Are we humans alone in our pursuit of fairness and the frustration we feel when others get what we want? In recent years, evolutionary psychologists have suggested that we’re not all that special. Animals, from corvids to capuchin monkeys, express…

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) stands as the dominant form of liver cancer, ranking as the fourth leading cause of cancer-related deaths globally. Often diagnosed at advanced stages, the therapeutic landscape is limited, with transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) serving as a key locoregional treatment. TACE, while effective in inducing tumor necrosis, exerts dual effects on the tumor microenvironment (TME), necessitating integration with systemic therapies like immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). Yet, therapeutic resistance, hypoxia-induced angiogenesis, and immune evasion remain significant barriers. The advent of T-cell receptor (TCR) sequencing offers a transformative lens to unravel these challenges, spotlighting tumor-immune interactions and adaptive immune mechanisms pivotal…