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Species across the animal kingdom show signs of cognitive impairment with disease

Is brain fog a condition limited to humans? "Infectious disease and cognition in wild populations," a recently published paper in Trends in Ecology & Evolution, answers that question. In a review of the studies, it explores whether learning, memory, and problem-solving are impaired by infection, not just in humans, but in species across the animal kingdom.

9 Aug 2022

Study reveals key similarities between the nervous system of two early-diverging animal lineages

Neurons, the specialized cells of the nervous system, are possibly the most complicated cell type ever to have evolved. In humans, these cells are capable of processing and transmitting vast sums of information. But how such complicated cells first came about remains a long-standing debate.

9 Aug 2022

What is the impact of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.2 breakthrough infection on novel Omicron sublineages?

In a new study, investigators examined if SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.2 breakthrough infection in triple vaccinated individuals boosts Omicron BA.4/BA.5 and BA.2.12.1 cross-neutralization.

8 Aug 2022

Modern humans did not experience an evolutionary decrease in brain size, UNLV research says

Did the 12th century B.C.E. - a time when humans were forging great empires and developing new forms of written text - coincide with an evolutionary reduction in brain size? Think again, says a UNLV-led team of researchers who refute a hypothesis that's growing increasingly popular among the science community.

8 Aug 2022

Researchers challenge a popular scenario put forward to explain the arrival of the first eukaryotic organisms

In the beginning, there was boredom. Following the emergence of cellular life on earth, some 3.5 billion years ago, simple cells lacking a nucleus and other detailed internal structure dominated the planet. Matters would remain largely unchanged in terms of evolutionary development in these so-called prokaryotic cells - the bacteria and archaea - for another billion and a half years.

8 Aug 2022

Locusts can differentiate between cancer cells and healthy cells, research shows

Researchers at Michigan State University have shown that locusts can not only "smell" the difference between cancer cells and healthy cells, but they can also distinguish between different cancer cell lines.

5 Aug 2022

Study sheds light on the pathogenic brain mechanisms associated with evolution of anxiety

Monoamine neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine play important roles in our cognitive and emotional functions.

5 Aug 2022

Gut microbiota-derived metabolites offer protection against SARS-CoV-2

A new study investigated how the gut microbiome confers immunity to mammalian hosts against SARS-CoV-2 intranasal infection by generating short-chain fatty acids.

5 Aug 2022

Research highlights the crucial role of other living primates as models for understanding human evolution

A new study based in Africa reveals hidden selection against interspecies breeding in wild baboon species in a strikingly similar way to what has been described for archaic hominins. The findings, based on coupled genomic and long-term field data, highlight the crucial role of other living primates as models for understanding human evolution, particularly for phenomena that are impossible to study in our lineage alone.

5 Aug 2022

Study reveals the effects of an atypical mode of chromosome arrangement on genome architecture and evolution

A research team led by André Marques at the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research in Cologne, Germany, has uncovered the profound effects of an atypical mode of chromosome arrangement on genome organization and evolution.

4 Aug 2022

How does the flu vaccine affect the risk of contracting COVID-19?

A new study describes the association between the risk of contracting COVID-19 and the seasonal flu vaccine.

4 Aug 2022

Fully reduced form of vitamin K found to efficiently inhibit ferroptotic cell death

A team of researchers at Tohoku University has reported on a novel function of vitamin K, which is generally known for its importance in blood clotting.

4 Aug 2022

Large-scale serological survey of SARS-CoV-2 in multiple rodent species across Europe

Scientists conducted SARS-CoV-2 sero-surveillance in wild rodents across Europe.

4 Aug 2022

Has SARS-CoV-2 adapted to higher temperatures?

Researchers describe changes in the infectivity of SARS-CoV-2 in Verona, Italy in 2020, 2021, and 2022.

3 Aug 2022

Less efficient replication of ancestral SARS-CoV-2 in primary nasal epithelium of children

A new study revealed that the replication of the ancestral strain of SARS-CoV-2 is less efficient in nasal epithelial cells (NECs) of children.

3 Aug 2022

Music festivals embrace overdose reversal drugs, but fentanyl testing kits remain taboo

A 26-year-old was found dead at his campsite during the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in 2019. The toxicology report linked his death to a grim trend that has only worsened since.

3 Aug 2022

The role of the biochemical features of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein in human transmission

Researchers evaluated all biochemical changes in SARS-CoV-2 spike protein to explore their evolutionary significance.

3 Aug 2022

How do the rates of SARS-CoV-2 shedding into exhaled breath aerosol differ between individuals infected by different variants?

A recent article analyzed the SARS-CoV-2 shedding evolution in exhaled breath aerosols.

3 Aug 2022

Fruit fly genome contains whole genomes of a kind of bacteria, study finds

A fruit fly genome is not a just made up of fruit fly DNA – at least for one fruit fly species. New research from the University of Maryland School of Medicine's (UMSOM) Institute for Genome Sciences (IGS) shows that one fruit fly species contains whole genomes of a kind of bacteria, making this finding the largest bacteria-to-animal transfer of genetic material ever discovered. The new research also sheds light on how this happens.

3 Aug 2022

New and efficient method Monkeypox virus sequencing

In a recent study posted to the medRxiv* preprint server, Spanish researchers described a new enrichment method for metagenomic sequencing of the monkeypox virus (MPXV).

2 Aug 2022

Evolution News and Research

Species across the animal kingdom show signs of cognitive impairment with disease

Study reveals key similarities between the nervous system of two early-diverging animal lineages

What is the impact of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.2 breakthrough infection on novel Omicron sublineages?

Modern humans did not experience an evolutionary decrease in brain size, UNLV research says

Researchers challenge a popular scenario put forward to explain the arrival of the first eukaryotic organisms

Locusts can differentiate between cancer cells and healthy cells, research shows

Study sheds light on the pathogenic brain mechanisms associated with evolution of anxiety

Gut microbiota-derived metabolites offer protection against SARS-CoV-2

Research highlights the crucial role of other living primates as models for understanding human evolution

Study reveals the effects of an atypical mode of chromosome arrangement on genome architecture and evolution

How does the flu vaccine affect the risk of contracting COVID-19?

Fully reduced form of vitamin K found to efficiently inhibit ferroptotic cell death

Large-scale serological survey of SARS-CoV-2 in multiple rodent species across Europe

Has SARS-CoV-2 adapted to higher temperatures?

Less efficient replication of ancestral SARS-CoV-2 in primary nasal epithelium of children

Music festivals embrace overdose reversal drugs, but fentanyl testing kits remain taboo

The role of the biochemical features of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein in human transmission

How do the rates of SARS-CoV-2 shedding into exhaled breath aerosol differ between individuals infected by different variants?

Fruit fly genome contains whole genomes of a kind of bacteria, study finds

New and efficient method Monkeypox virus sequencing

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

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