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Convergent Evolution

All articles tagged with #convergent evolution

Jomon Genomes Reveal Stepwise Cold-Weather Adaptations in Ice-Age Humans
science8 days ago

Jomon Genomes Reveal Stepwise Cold-Weather Adaptations in Ice-Age Humans

Scientists analyzed genomes from 42 Jomon individuals and used imputation to infer missing data, uncovering genetic adaptations linked to cold tolerance—such as nonshivering thermogenesis in brown fat and fatty‑acid metabolism—that likely helped these ancient populations survive icy climates. The findings suggest incremental, region‑specific adaptations during the last glacial period, with some variants showing Inuit-like convergence, highlighting a paleogenomic legacy that may continue to influence modern human variation and health.

via ScienceAlert|
#brown-fat#cold-adaptation#convergent-evolution
One Genetic Code, Two Beginnings: A Fresh Take on Life’s Origins
science11 days ago

One Genetic Code, Two Beginnings: A Fresh Take on Life’s Origins

A Science Advances study argues bacteria and archaea inherited one ancient genetic code but independently completed cellular metabolism, effectively yielding one origin of the genetic code and two origins of life. The model suggests LUCA relied on environmental chemistry and metals to drive core reactions, with each lineage later filling in missing metabolism with its own enzymes. Five cases of convergent, structurally distinct enzymes underlie these separate paths. The idea is provocative and tentative, contingent on more archaeal genomes and experiments, and does not imply two abiogenesis events—merely two autonomous metabolic completions after a shared genetic root.

via Space Daily|
#convergent-evolution#hydrothermal-vents#luca
Eyeless 'Demon Cavefish' Found in Alabama Cave Beneath Army Base
science12 days ago

Eyeless 'Demon Cavefish' Found in Alabama Cave Beneath Army Base

Researchers from the University of Alabama in Huntsville report the discovery of a new genus and species of eyeless cavefish, Demogorgonichthys arcanus, in Bobcat Cave beneath Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama. The less-than-2-inch, colorless fish is faintly electric blue in life and represents a distinct lineage from the nearby Southern Cavefish, illustrating convergent evolution. Found in a well-studied cave system, its habitat may be threatened by surface contamination from the military base, including elevated cadmium, chromium, and lead in groundwater. The findings were published in Scientific Reports and led by Dr. Matthew L. Niemiller, highlighting that even famous sites can hide unknown biodiversity.

via nypost.com|
#alabama#cavefish#convergent-evolution
Octopuses' Ribosomes Hint at a Convergent Route to Smarter Brains
science1 month ago

Octopuses' Ribosomes Hint at a Convergent Route to Smarter Brains

Researchers propose that octopuses may have boosted their nervous system complexity through a unique H88 break in ribosomal RNA that increases the accuracy of protein synthesis, reducing misfolded proteins in long-lived neurons; experiments even implementing a similar ribosomal change in E. coli support the idea that this tweak enhances protein folding, highlighting a convergent evolutionary path to smarter brains driven by challenging environments.

via Hackaday|
#convergent-evolution#note-only-five-tags-allowed#octopus
Crocodile kin beats dinosaurs to beaked, two-legged form by 212 million years
science3 months ago

Crocodile kin beats dinosaurs to beaked, two-legged form by 212 million years

A new species, Labrujasuchus expectatus, from Ghost Ranch, NM, shows a two‑legged, toothless‑beaked crocodile relative that looked like a small theropod dinosaur but wasn’t a dinosaur. Dated to about 212 million years ago in the Late Triassic, it demonstrates convergent evolution—crocodile lineages and later dinosaurs independently arriving at a similar beaked, two-legged form under comparable ecological pressures. The find highlights how the crocodile branch explored a variety of body plans long before dinosaurs dominated the terrestrial fauna.

via Space Daily|
#convergent-evolution#ghost-ranch#labrujasuchus
Strong jaws, not bigger bodies, drove giant theropods to shrink their forelimbs
science3 months ago

Strong jaws, not bigger bodies, drove giant theropods to shrink their forelimbs

A new study of 82 theropod species finds that giant predators didn’t shrink their arms because their bodies grew larger; instead, as jaws and skulls became more powerful, forelimbs became less necessary and were reduced in five independent lineages. The researchers linked arm length to skull robustness, showing a stronger correlation with powerful jaws than with body size. Skull development preceded arm reduction, meaning the bite-based hunting strategy replaced grasping by the arms. This convergent pattern across tyrannosaurids, abelisaurids, carcharodontosaurids, megalosaurids, and ceratosaurids suggests tiny arms were an evolutionary consequence of jaw power, not a byproduct of overall gigantism.

via Space Daily|
#convergent-evolution#dinosaurs#evolution
The appendix: a repeatedly reinvented organ that helps immunity and gut microbes
science5 months ago

The appendix: a repeatedly reinvented organ that helps immunity and gut microbes

The article explains that the appendix is not a simple leftover but has evolved independently in multiple mammal lineages (convergent evolution) and contains gut-associated lymphoid tissue that trains the immune system and may shelter helpful microbes after infections. In modern clean environments its selective value is modest, appendectomy does not impair fertility, and medicine treats the organ mainly to prevent disease rather than as an essential feature of health.

via The Conversation|
#appendix#convergent-evolution#evolution
Genomic convergence drove the rise of land animals
biology9 months ago

Genomic convergence drove the rise of land animals

The study reveals that independent terrestrialization events in animals involved convergent genomic adaptations, including gene gains and losses related to osmoregulation, stress response, immunity, and sensory functions, with three major temporal windows identified during Earth's history, highlighting both predictable and lineage-specific evolutionary responses to land colonization.

via Nature|
#animal-phylogeny#biology#convergent-evolution
Mushrooms Evolved Psychedelics Twice, Study Finds
science11 months ago

Mushrooms Evolved Psychedelics Twice, Study Finds

Researchers have discovered that two unrelated groups of mushrooms independently evolved the ability to produce the psychedelic compound psilocybin through different biochemical pathways, highlighting convergent evolution. The purpose of psilocybin in fungi remains unknown, but it may serve as a defense mechanism. This discovery expands biotechnological tools for producing psilocybin, which is being studied as a potential antidepressant, and prompts further investigation into its evolutionary role.

via The Debrief|
#biotechnology#convergent-evolution#mushrooms