Phylogeny News and Research

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Phylogenetic analysis explores the evolutionary relationships between organisms and is a vital foundation for microbial studies. The development of reliable phylogenetic trees is an important step in developing new treatments and discovering the origins of eukaryotes, prokaryotes and archaea.

Tracing adaptation to ACE2 use in sarbecoviruses

A detailed study published on the preprint server bioRxiv in July 2020 argues that recombination accounts for the appearance of the ability of both SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 to use the human angiotensin-converting enzyme (hACE) 2 as the binding receptor mediating viral infection of human cells.

8 Jul 2020

Spike protein and human ACE2 binding ability shows SARS-CoV-2 viral adaptation

A new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv in June 2020 reports some important findings that could shed light on this question. As the pandemic marches on, having claimed over 500,000 lives and caused well over 10 million infections to date, the task of defining and predicting factors that predispose to infectivity across species becomes ever more critical.

30 Jun 2020

First-ever study reveals the evolution and relationships for all European butterflies

For the first time, a complete time-calibrated phylogeny for a large group of invertebrates is published for an entire continent.

15 Jun 2020

Genetic variations linked to COVID-19 severity

A new report by researchers from Thailand's Mahidol University and published on the preprint server medRxiv in May 2020 reports that the clinical severity of COVID-19 may be linked to the genetic makeup of the patient in addition to external factors.

3 Jun 2020

Study shows broad geographic and evolutionary dispersal of betacoronaviruses from African bats

A research group from Nigeria found evidence of long-distance transmission and dispersal between bat coronaviruses isolated in Africa and the ones Europe and Asia, as described in a new paper available on the preprint server bioRxiv.

17 May 2020

International collaborators propose a new ranking scheme to classify SARS-CoV-2

In November of 2019--likely, even earlier--a tiny entity measuring just a few hundred billionths of a meter in diameter began to tear apart human society on a global scale.

28 Apr 2020

Genomic sequencing shows COVID-19 spread patterns

Throughout the spread of the virus, genomic sequencing has played a role in epidemiologic tracking of the viral strains carried all over the world. Such strains are traced back to their origin by their unique mutations and help to link remote infections.

22 Apr 2020

Scientists use genomics and bioinformatics to analyze blueprint of novel coronavirus

Australian researchers from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) have found a new way to decode the genome of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that causes COVID-19 disease. This approach could help in drug and vaccine development. Their work titled, "Supporting pandemic response using genomics and bioinformatics: a case study on the emergent SARS-CoV-2 outbreak," is published in the latest issue of the journal Transboundary and Emerging Diseases.

21 Apr 2020

Novel coronavirus mutation could spell trouble for vaccine development

New research shows that the novel coronavirus is undergoing mutations that could make it challenging to develop a vaccine against. There are a few vaccine candidates that are in the making to prevent COVID-19. With a potential for mutation, the vaccines that are being developed now may not work against the emergent mutated strains worry Taiwanese and Australian researchers. The study is titled, “Analysis of the mutation dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 reveals the spread history and emergence of 2 RBD mutant with lower ACE2 binding affinity.”

19 Apr 2020

Theoretical aspects of cancer evolution could pave way to new anti-cancer therapies

New treatments designed to prevent cancer from developing, based on changing the microenvironment in which cancer cells evolve, could be both feasible and effective.

17 Apr 2020

New study advances understanding about what shapes human gut microbiome

A new Northwestern University study finds that despite human's close genetic relationship to apes, the human gut microbiome is more similar to that of Old World monkeys like baboons than to that of apes like chimpanzees.

8 Oct 2019

Study sheds new light on transmission dynamics of HIV-1B virus in Indonesia

Research into the molecular phylogeny (evolutionary history) of the HIV-1B virus in Indonesia has succeeded in illuminating the transmission period and routes for three clades (main branches of the virus).

4 Oct 2019

New research collaboration launches first evolutionary study to explore origins of fish that walk

A new research collaboration with support from the National Science Foundation, or NSF, begins an unprecedented study of walking cavefish to better understand the "fin-to-limb" transition that enabled the first vertebrates to walk on land more than 350 million years ago.

20 Dec 2018

New approach identifies genes that help microbes to survive in the human gut

Trillions of tiny microbes and bacteria live in your gut, each with their own set of genes. These gut microbes can have both beneficial and harmful effects on your health, from protecting you against inflammation to causing life-threatening infections.

10 Aug 2018

Researchers provide new insight on origins and global spread of HBV

Researchers have provided new insight on the geographical origins and global spread of two classes of the hepatitis B virus (HBV), according to a study in eLife.

7 Aug 2018

Appendix may serve as reservoir for beneficial gut bacteria, new research suggests

The human appendix, a narrow pouch that projects off the cecum in the digestive system, has a notorious reputation for its tendency to become inflamed (appendicitis), often resulting in surgical removal.

10 Jan 2017

First comprehensive genomic and biologic study of top skin disease-causing microbes

An international team of scientists, led by researchers from A*STAR's Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS), Institute of Medical Biology (IMB), and Bioinformatics Institute (BII), and P&G, have completed the first comprehensive genomic and biologic study of all species of Malassezia, one of the top skin disease-causing microbes.

9 Nov 2015

HIV, Ebola appear to be of animal origin

The hepatitis A virus can trigger acute liver inflammation which generally has a mild course in small children but which can become dangerous in adults.

3 Nov 2015

New patent-pending detection method identifies bacteria contaminating oysters

In a major breakthrough in shellfish management and disease prevention, researchers at the University of New Hampshire have discovered a new method to detect a bacterium that has contaminated New England oyster beds and sickened consumers who ate the contaminated shellfish.

23 Apr 2015

Pathogen may cause high levels of virulence in closely-related hosts

When viruses such as influenza and Ebola jump from one species to another, their ability to cause harm can change dramatically, but research from the University of Cambridge shows that it may be possible to predict the virus's virulence by looking at how deadly it is in closely-related species.

23 Mar 2015