Study reveals surprising details of the evolution of protein translation
A new study of transfer RNA, a molecule that delivers amino acids to the protein-building machinery of the cell, challenges long-held ideas about the evolutionary history of protein synthesis.

Hundreds of natural-selection studies could be wrong, study demonstrates
Scientists have demonstrated that several statistical methods commonly used by biologists to detect natural selection at the molecular level tend to produce incorrect results.

Meteorites are rich in the building blocks of life, claims new research
Amino acids that are the building blocks of life have been found in their highest ever concentration in 2 ancient meteorites which crashed to Earth millions of years ago, scientists claim today.

Study of protein folds offers insight into metabolic evolution
Researchers at the University of Illinois have constructed the first global family tree of metabolic protein architecture.

Structure of 450 million year old protein reveals evolution's steps
A detailed map that pinpoints the location of every atom in a 450-million-yeard-old resurrected protein reveals the precise evolutionary steps needed to create the molecule's modern version

The story of X -- evolution of a sex chromosome
First evolutionary study of X chromosome shows how X compensates for degeneration of Y

Scientists retrace evolution with first atomic structure of an ancient protein
Scientists have determined for the first time the atomic structure of an ancient protein, revealing in unprecedented detail how genes evolved their functions.

Which came first, the chicken genome or the egg genome?
Which came first, the chicken genome or the egg genome?

KGI professor contributes new insights on 'jumping genes'
KGI professor and director of KGI's PhD program has published a paper in the international online journal PLoS ONE that sheds new light on the evolution of moveable genetic elements, or "jumping genes."

A gene divided reveals the details of natural selection
In a molecular tour de force, researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have provided an exquisitely detailed picture of natural selection as it occurs at the genetic level.

Evolution in the Nanoworld
The automatic molecular assembly and selection steps exhibited by the molecules, which start as random mixtures, demonstrates a fundamental step in the evolution of life.

Rebuilding the evolutionary history of HIV-1 unravels a complex loop
An essential component of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) molecular machinery responsible for infecting cells consists of functionally-specialized layers

Scientists find missing evolutionary link using tiny fungus crystal
The crystal structure of a molecule from a primitive fungus has served as a time machine to show researchers more about the evolution of life from the simple to the complex.

How left-handed amino acids got ahead: a demonstration of the evolution of biological homochirality in the lab
A chemical reaction that demonstrates how key molecules in the biological world might have come to be predominately left or right handed has been reported by scientists

A cricket Gene Index: a genomic resource for studying neurobiology, speciation, and molecular evolution
Here the authors report the development of expressed sequence tags in an orthopteroid insect, a model for the study of neurobiology, speciation, and evolution.

Evolution of the core and pan-genome of Streptococcus: positive selection, recombination, and genome composition
This study employs comparative evolutionary analyses of 26 Streptococcus genomes to yield an improved understanding of the relative roles of recombination and positive selection in pathogen adaptation to their hosts.

Study of protein folds offers insight into metabolic evolution
Researchers at the University of Illinois have constructed the first global family tree of metabolic protein architecture.

Discovery of a molecular mechanism underlying limb architecture
A genetic study performed by Dr. Marie Kmita and others sheds light on the origins of the architecture of arms and legs.

Novel experiment documents evolution of genome in near-real time
Researchers identified all the changes in a bacterium's complete set of genes during a 44-day evolution experiment

Sperm proteome gives "tantalising glimpse" towards the origin of sex
The first ever catalogue of the different types of proteins found in sperm could help reveal the origins of sex and explain some of the mysteries of infertility, say scientists.