In a recent report posted to the bioRxiv* preprint server, researchers from the United Kingdom and Uganda reveal unique protein features of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) relative to other representatives of Sarbecoviruses. The causative agent of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), SARS-CoV-2, belongs to the Betacoronavirus genus and Sarbecovirus subgenus of the […]
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Heart attacks in humans are the price of evolution
Heart attacks in humans are the price of evolution: Scientists blame genetic mutation that occurred three million years ago on soaring rates Humans are only animals to have heart attacks due to plaque in the arteries Mutation in the gene CMAH has left us unable to produce the molecule Neu5Gc ‘Knocking out’ CMAH in mice caused their arteries […]
New insight into the evolution of the nervous system
Pioneering research has given a fascinating fresh insight into how animal nervous systems evolved from simple structures to become the complex network transmitting signals between different parts of the body. The new study used simple multicellular organisms called Placozoa to reveal the beginnings of the nervous systems found in more complex animals. The international research […]
Primate study offers clues to evolution of speech
New research examining the brains and vocal repertoires of primates offers important insight into the evolution of human speech. The vocal tract and larynx is similar in form and function amongst virtually all terrestrial mammals, including humans. However, relative to humans, non-human primates produce an extremely limited range of vocalisations. Published in the journal Frontiers […]
Is Evolution of the Human Brain to Blame for Some Mental Disorders?
THURSDAY, Aug. 9, 2018 — Evolutionary changes in the human brain may be responsible for psychiatric illnesses such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, new research suggests. The researchers identified long, noncoding stretches of DNA (called “repeat arrays”) in a gene that governs calcium transport in the brain. Their findings were published Aug. 9 in the […]