On the Origin of Life, Computer Code, and Brownies
Review by Arthur G. Schwarz of the book “The DNA Question: Where Does the Information Come From?"
Review by Arthur G. Schwarz of the book “The DNA Question: Where Does the Information Come From?"
Laboratory abiogenesis is one of the ultimate goals of experimental biology. The most formidable barrier to create living matter in the laboratory is not the complexity of the cell, rather the absolute requirement for non-equilibrium steady state for all chemical reactions. Current synthetic biology technologies cannot yet produce cells, which harbor chemical systems in non-equilibrium steady-states.
New study of neuronal diversification reveals the complexity of the gut's brain
Climatic effects of the impact and volcanism scenarios for the extinction of dinosaurs are investigated in a modelling paper.
Species may undergo minor adaptation through Darwinian processes, but this comes at the cost of genetic deterioration.
Pseudogenes are important in gene regulation and other activities.
Changing a DNA sequence can affect a protein even if it does not change the amino acid sequence.
Cambrian arthropods were as complex as living species
The "Cambrian explosion" is a term used to describe the abrupt appearance in the fossil record of major animal phyla, without intermediate forms in lower layers. This pattern of abrupt appearance can be observed for many groups of organisms, including crinoids (sea lilies).
Chromosomes regulate their own structure through their sequences of non-protein-coding DNA.
Fossilized crane fly eyes discovered to be calcified and have melanin
Cichlid fish in Nicaraguan lakes show evidence of rapid change.
An average of 70 mutations occur in each person.
The specific genes have been identified that cause a lizard to match the black rocks it lives on.
Humans have unique “developmental control genes” that distinguish them from chimpanzees and other animals
Is the genetic basis of loss of flight due to mutations in protein-coding genes or in regulatory genes?
Comparison of genomes of jellyfish and sea anemones highlights the importance of orphan genes in taxonomically close organisms.
Is a recent fossil found in Peru evidence for transitional forms in an evolutionary sequence?
The abrupt appearance of trilobites in Cambrian strata and their absence in Precambrian sediments is a real feature of the rock record and not due to failure of preservation in Precambrian rocks.
A newly described Cambrian locality in China has added more than 50 new species to our knowledge.