evolution

Researchers have put forward a simple model of development and gene regulation that is capable of explaining patterns observed in the distribution of morphologies and body plans (or, more generally, phenotypes).

The exhibit, which tracks the evolution of an ancient Chinese medium, runs through Oct. 26 at the Hong Kong Museum of Art.

Evolution can lead to greater biological diversity, and particularly to improvements in the functioning of ecosystems.

New research shows evolution as a structuring force for ecosystems, and it open new paths to interpreting the relationship between the diversity of living beings and the functioning of ecosystems.

Higher organisms do not have a "cost of complexity" -- or slowdown in the evolution of complex traits -- according to a report by researchers at Yale and Washington University in Nature.

The code used by the malaria parasite to move essential proteins around inside its structure has been discovered.

New results could allow the design of a drug which would confuse this communication process and kill the parasite, as well as providing insight into the parasite's evolution.

A team of scientists has succeeded in creating a new type of enzyme for a reaction for which no naturally occurring enzyme has evolved, by using a combination of novel computational methodologies and molecular in vitro evolution.

This achievement opens the door to the development of a variety of potential applications in medicine and industry.

Researchers have found that, although tuatara have remained largely physically unchanged over very long periods of evolution, they are evolving -- at a DNA level -- faster than any other animal yet examined.

Root nodule symbioses with nitrogen-fixing bacteria provide many plants with a source of nitrogen. This study uncovers evidence that changes in the gene SYMRK were involved in the evolution of this important biological innovation.