Evolutionary Biology
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The Necessity of Darwin
February 12th, 2009 was Charles Darwin’s 200th birthday, and November 2009 represents the 150th anniversary of the publication of his transformative book, The Origin of Species. It seems a good tim…
Received 19 February 2009 10:12 UTC; Posted 23 February 2009
Posted to: Genetics & Genomics, Molecular Cell Biology, Evolutionary Biology
Evolutionary descent of prion genes from a ZIP metal ion transport ancestor
In the more than 20 years since its discovery, both the phylogenetic origin and cellular function of the prion protein (PrP) have remained enigmatic. Insights into the function of PrP may be obtain…
Received 10 February 2009 21:16 UTC; Posted 10 February 2009
Posted to: Genetics & Genomics, Molecular Cell Biology, Evolutionary Biology
Inverse relationship between genetic diversity and epigenetic complexity
Early studies of molecular evolution revealed a correlation between genetic distance and time of species divergence. This observation provoked the molecular clock hypothesis and in turn the ‘Neutr…
Received 13 January 2009 19:33 UTC; Posted 15 January 2009
Posted to: Genetics & Genomics, Bioinformatics, Evolutionary Biology
Fundamentally different strategies for transcriptional regulation are revealed by analysis of binding motifs
To regulate a particular gene, a transcription factor (TF) needs to bind a specific genome location. How is this genome address specified amid the presence of ~106-109 decoy sites? Our analysis…
Received 27 December 2008 20:53 UTC; Posted 28 December 2008
Posted to: Genetics & Genomics, Molecular Cell Biology, Bioinformatics, Evolutionary Biology
Evolution of Thriftiness: An analytical viewpoint
We examine here, using a simple mathematical model, the conditions under which thrifty genes or fetal programming could evolve. Obesity and related disorders are thought to have their roots in meta…
Received 23 December 2008 05:09 UTC; Posted 23 December 2008
Posted to: Developmental Biology, Evolutionary Biology
Assortative human pair-bonding for partner ancestry and allelic variation of the dopamine receptor D4 (DRD4) gene
The 7R allele of the dopamine receptor D4 gene has been associated with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and risk taking. On the cross-population scale, 7R allele frequencies have been show…
Received 15 December 2008 00:40 UTC; Posted 15 December 2008
Posted to: Genetics & Genomics, Neuroscience, Evolutionary Biology
Ageing as a price of cooperation and complexity: Self-organization of complex systems causes the ageing of constituent networks
The analysis of network topology and dynamics is increasingly used for the description of the structure, function and evolution of complex systems. Here we summarize key aspects of the evolvability…
Received 05 December 2008 11:47 UTC; Posted 05 December 2008
Posted to: Genetics & Genomics, Bioinformatics, Evolutionary Biology
Deciphering the phylogenetic history of neuroserpin orthologs across metazoans by analysis of synteny and rare genomic characters
The superfamily of serine proteinase inhibitors (serpins) is involved in wide arrays of fundamental biological processes such as blood coagulation, complement activation, fibrinolysis, angiogenesis…
Received 10 November 2008 14:43 UTC; Posted 13 November 2008
Posted to: Bioinformatics, Evolutionary Biology
Cortical Bone Ontogeny: Activity, Nutritional Stress and Archaeology
This poster introduces the idea that femoral compact bone growth and development demonstrates a very different pattern among infants and children in a contemporary sample of well-nourished active c…
Received 04 November 2008 19:41 UTC; Posted 13 November 2008
Posted to: Evolutionary Biology
Estimating body Mass and Nutritional Status from Subadult Hominin Skeletons
Hominin body size and shape are key components to reconstructing phylogeny, life history, adaptation, and behavior in ancestral populations1. For adults, geometric properties of the femoral midsh…
Received 04 November 2008 19:29 UTC; Posted 07 November 2008
Posted to: Developmental Biology, Evolutionary Biology
