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Evolutionary genetics is the study of how genetic variation leads to evolutionary change. It includes topics such as the evolution of genome structure, the genetic basis of speciation and adaptation, and genetic change in response to selection within populations.
An RNA sequencing study comparing juvenile cattle horn buds to growing deer antler tissues finds gene expression patterns that support homology of horns and antlers relative to a cranial-appendage-lacking outgroup.
Population genomic and epigenomic study in a facultatively asexual plant indicates that natural selection can act on the controls of asexual reproduction during range expansion, which in turn might reduce genetic and epigenetic diversity in the population.
The adrenal gland of the oldfield mouse (Peromyscus polionotus) has a recently evolved cell type that promotes monogamous-typical parenting behaviour and is not present in closely related species.
A-to-I editing in animals is catalyzed by enzymes of the Adenosine Deaminase Acting on RNA family, orthologues of which do not exist in fungi. Here, Feng et al. characterise the enzymes involved in A-to-I mRNA editing in Fusarium graminearum.
By analysing the genome of over 9,000 pig-associated isolates, this study shows that modernized agricultural systems have favoured the acquisition of antimicrobial resistance genes, population expansion and global transmission of pig-enriched Salmonella over the past century.
The World Health Organization framework for tracking SARS-CoV-2 variants has been updated to reflect the continued evolution of the virus; this framework could be adapted for other emerging respiratory diseases with epidemic and pandemic potential.
A comparative transcriptomic analysis of eight tissue types in twenty bilaterian species reveals the long-lasting effects of genome duplication on the evolution of novel tissue-specific gene-expression patterns.
In this Journal Club article, Jenny Tung reflects on a 1975 paper from King and Wilson that emphasized the importance of gene regulatory changes in human evolution.
Reflecting on the importance of short tandem repeats (STRs) in population genetics, Ning Xie highlights a 2023 publication that characterized genome-wide STR variation in global human genomes to expand our understanding of STR genetic diversity within and across populations.
Using over 200 chromosomal genomes to reconstruct 250 million years of evolutionary history, we define the 32 linkage groups (Merian elements) that were present in the ancestor of Lepidoptera. We chart the dynamics of chromosome fusion and fission that accompanied the global diversification of Lepidoptera.
Within-species adaptation of locomotor capacity in deer mice and defensive structures in stickleback fish is associated with changes in Hox gene regulation.