#EvoSKy

Super-mountains and major events in life's #evolution

#evoSky #geology

youtube.com/watch?v=PUDv...

This is figure 4, which shows notable signals of directional polygenic selection.

Analysis of ancient West Eurasian genomes reveals hundreds of instances of directional selection, showing that sustained changes in allele frequency were widespread, rather than being rare over this period as previously assumed, according to a paper in Nature. go.nature.com/4vF79sA #evosky 🧬 🧪

CAM photosynthesis may have conferred an advantage during the Permian–Triassic mass extinction event - Nature Ecology & Evolution Morphological and stable isotope analysis of Early Triassic lycophyte leaves suggest they were similar to extant Isoetales and thus may have made use of crassulacean acid metabolism photosynthesis—a trait that may have been advantageous during the Permian–Triassic mass extinction.

Insights into how ancient plants lived around 252 million years ago at the time of the Permian–Triassic mass extinction, the most severe loss of biodiversity in Earth’s history, are reported in @natecoevo.nature.com: spklr.io/63323EKEml

#Palaeontology #evosky

Direct benefits are not necessary for the evolution of multicellularity - Nature Ecology & Evolution A model for the evolution of multicellularity in a spatially heterogeneous environment shows that indirect mechanisms such as escape from competition and increased environmental exploitation can drive...

Direct benefits are not necessary for the #evolution of #multicellularity

#evoSky

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

The human body isn’t a masterpiece of design – it’s a patchwork of evolutionary compromise Many aspects of human anatomy are just “good enough” solutions – functional, but far from perfect.

The human body isn’t a masterpiece of design – it’s a patchwork of evolutionary compromise
#evolution #EvolutionaryBiology #HumanEvolution #evoSky

theconversation.com/the-human-bo...

Repurposing of a DNA segregation machinery into a cytoskeletal system controlling cell shape Bacteria, like eukaryotes, use conserved cytoskeletal systems for intracellular organization. The plasmid-encoded ParMRC system forms actin-like filaments that segregate low–copy number plasmids. In m...

Repurposing of a DNA segregation machinery into a cytoskeletal system controlling cell shape
#evolution #evoSky #cyanobacteria

www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Conceptual Foundations of Cell Mortality The new era of microbial cell death stems from a flood of new information emanating from the mechanistic and evolutionary life sciences, philosophy, and even sociology. In the shifting landscape, long...

Do microbial organisms undergo programmed cell death (PCD)? 🦠🔬 In their latest piece, Pierre Durand and Grant Ramsey (@theramseylab.bsky.social) argue that an evolutionary concept of PCD applies to all cells across the tree of life.

📚👇 link.springer.com/chapter/10.1...

#evosky #HPbio #philsci

A fossil root - a black elongate structure in the middle of a yellowish, ~20 cm scale sandstone bed. It looks like the cross section through a tube, with smaller black protrusions (which were rootlets in life)

Fossil corals - small circles in a light coloured rock that look about the size of a pea, and are actually the tops of individual corals that are living in a colony. In the middle is a larger coral, which is a circle, and has radial lines, a bit like a bike wheel

The underside of a yellow, coarse sandstone bed, which is criss crossed with ~5cm scale intersecting lines

For #FossilFriday, since I'm in the field with second year undergrads in Scotland, here is a lovely fossil plant root we found in Upper Carboniferous sediments. Plus a coral, and some amazing bioturbation on the underside of a bed!

⚒️🧪🦀🦑 #evosky

Exploring the Birds That Never Were | College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences | University of Maryland Biological sciences doctoral student Stephanie Chia uses informatics to determine why some animal forms fail to

Why do some forms in nature simply never arise? Biological sciences Ph.D. student Stephanie Chia asked that question of the superfamily of birds called Passeroidea.

Learn about her fascinating findings about evolutionary no-shows ⤵️ #Evosky

Scaffolding minds: human collective intelligence through space, body and material symbols Abstract. Human collective intelligence (CI)—the capacity of groups to solve problems, make decisions and acquire knowledge beyond individual capabilities—

Now out in PTRSB!🔥

Wherein Francesco d'Errico, Ivan Colage & I track the emergence & trajectory of hominin epistemic #nicheconstruction through material culture—the alteration of the informational landscape via spaces, bodily ornaments, & artificial memory systems.

#evosky #archeosky #philsky

#HPbio #evosky #philsci #HPS

The Social Lives of Viruses is coming to Vancouver, Canada, from 4th-8th August 2026!

This is a free meeting dedicated to all aspects of virus-virus interactions & evolution.

To apply: socialviruses.zoology.ubc.ca

@sociovirology.bsky.social #socialviruses #evosky #lovevirology #virosky

Journal of Mammalian Evolution

🐋🦭 This #OpenAccess study from 'Journal of Mammalian Evolution' compares maximal propagation distances of calls across 103 species, showing that environmental pressures and evolutionary mechanisms shape long-distance communication. bit.ly/4bU7U81 #evosky

Jan Baedke, The Organism | BJPS Review of Books Matthew Sims reviews The Organism, by Jan Baedke

A new review of Jan Baedke’s #OpenAccess Cambridge Element The Organism (@universitypress.cambridge.org), by Matthew Sims (@philosobio.bsky.social), has been published in @thebjps.bsky.social Review of Books! Check it out! 👇📕 www.thebsps.org/reviewofbook... #HPBio #philsky #HPS #evosky #booksky

At @uti-revisited.bsky.social we collect the findings of the UTIr project - on the ecology and evolution of recurrent urinary tract infections.

Interested in UTIs, pathogenesis, AMR, urobiome, microbial ecology & evolution?

Give us a follow!

#UTISky #AMR #microbiomesky
#microSky #evoSky #mevoSky

The relationship between genomic variation and genetic load: insights from small island populations - Heredity Heredity - The relationship between genomic variation and genetic load: insights from small island populations

The relationship between genomic variation and genetic load: insights from small island populations
#genetics #PopulationGenetics #evolution #evoSky

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Rapid evolution predicts demographic recovery after extreme drought Populations that are declining as a result of climate change may need to evolve to persist. Although evolutionary rescue has been demonstrated in theory and in the laboratory, its relevance to natural...

Rapid #evolution predicts demographic recovery after extreme drought
#evoSky

www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Tracing ancient life through the genomic record Abstract. Since its origins, life has been profoundly interconnected with Earth’s history. The genomes that underpin the diversity of modern life forms hav

Tracing ancient life through the genomic record
#mevoSky #evoSky #microbes #evolution #LUCA #LECA

academic.oup.com/jambio/artic...

#philsky #philsci #booksky #evosky #histsci #AcademicSky #BNPreorder

From Trading Genes to Crafting New Tricks: How Horizontal Gene Transfer Potentiates the Emergence of Novel Functions

Horizontal gene transfer is often depicted as a process distributing pre-existing functions to novel genetic backgrounds. Yet HGT can also increase the rate of functional innovation after transfer. Here's a brief review on the topic: ecoevorxiv.org/repository/v... #evosky #microsky

Aging is messier, and more interesting, than a simple oxidative-stress story.

@natureportfolio.nature.com #Aging #EvoSky #Aedes

#HPBio #EvoDevo #evosky #biology

Reposting for the microbial evolution community
#microSky #evoSky #mevoSky

Book cover with a green gradient background for "The Organism–Environment Pairing: A Historical and Philosophical Reappraisal" by Alejandro Fábregas-Tejeda (MIT Press, 2026). The book series label “The Vienna Series in Theoretical Biology” appears at the top. The title is set in large, bold lettering using three colors: white (“The” and “Pairing”), warm yellow (“Organism–”), and bright green (“Environment”). The subtitle appears below in smaller white text, and the author’s name is printed at the bottom. In the lower right, a monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) rests on clusters of pink milkweed flowers. Behind it, a large pale-green butterfly silhouette fills the background; its outline follows the shape of a red lacewing butterfly (Cethosia biblis). The layered butterflies visually echo the book’s central idea of an organism–environment pairing.

What a joy to finally share the cover of The Organism–Environment Pairing (@mitpress.bsky.social)! The 📗 will be out on May 12 📆! I look forward to the conversations it sparks among scientists, philosophers & historians! mitpress.mit.edu/978026205282... #evosky #histsci #philsci #philsky #booksky 🌱🐋

🧪 #evosky

Analysing Darwin specimens without opening 200-year-old jars Scientists have successfully analysed Charles Darwin's original specimens from his HMS Beagle voyage (1831 to 1836) to the Galapagos Islands.

Analysing #Darwin specimens without opening 200-year-old jars

#scienceSky #evoSky

www.ukri.org/news/analysi...

Prediction of eukaryotic cellular complexity in Asgard archaea using structural modelling - Nature Microbiology A structural catalogue of the Asgard archaeal pangenome reveals hundreds of eukaryotic-like proteins that suggest a higher degree of cellular complexity in the archaeal ancestor of eukaryotes.

Prediction of eukaryotic cellular complexity in Asgard #archaea using structural modelling

#microSky #evoSky #mevoSky

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Diversity, ecology, cell biology and evolution of the Asgard archaea - Nature Reviews Microbiology The Asgard archaea have become a cornerstone of archaeal research, particularly for studies aiming to unravel the origin and early evolution of eukaryotes. This Review outlines the current state of th...

Diversity, #ecology, cell biology and #evolution of the Asgard #archaea

#microSky #evoSky #mevoSky

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Epistasis and co-adaptation in bacterial genome evolution - Nature Reviews Genetics Bacterial genome evolution is shaped by epistasis, which can constrain or promote specific evolutionary paths. The authors review how integrating the effects of epistatic interactions into population-...

#Epistasis and co-adaptation in bacterial genome #evolution

#evoSky #mevoSky #microSky

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Book cover of “Temporal Cognition in Animals” by Angelica Kaufmann in the Cambridge Elements: The Philosophy of Biology series. Against a black background, the title is surrounded by Ernst Haeckel’s illustrations of marine organisms—radial, symmetrical forms in vivid blues, oranges, reds, and greens.

Do non-human animals represent time? New Element in the #PhilBio series by Angelica Kaufmann—free to download until March 16! Kaufmann argues that temporal cognition is widespread across many animal species & advances comparative analyses 👇📕 www.cambridge.org/core/element... #evosky #HPS #cogsci