The coexistence of ancestral and innovative functions is possible and fosters evolutionary innovation in events involving the acquisition of whole protein domains.

A phylogeny of all major groups of flatworms based on hundreds of genes sheds new light the early evolution of this important metazoan phylum, with particular significance for the original of vertebrate parasitism.

A long-term evolution experiment with Escherichia coli shows that the appearance and optimization of a new trait can require both co-opting existing cellular pathways for new roles and reversing a history of previous adaptation.

Integrative analysis of a specialized metabolic pathway across multiple non-model species illustrates mechanisms of emergence of chemical novelty in plant metabolism.

Co-evolving residue pairs in the different components of a protein complex almost always make contact across the protein–protein interface, thus providing powerful restraints for the modeling of protein complexes.

The synthesis capability of some amino acids is lost during the insect evolution, and hymenopteran parasitoids can make up for these deficiencies by altering free amino acid concentrations in host.

The foundations of genomic complexity in multicellular animals have deep roots in their unicellular prehistory, both in terms of innovations in gene content, as well as the evolutionary dynamics of genome architecture.

The first genomic view of beetle luciferase evolution indicates evolutionary independence of luciferase between fireflies and click-beetles, and provide valuable datasets which will accelerate the discovery of new biotechnological tools.

Analysis of chromerid algal genomes reveals how apicomplexans have evolved from free-living algae into successful eukaryotic parasites via massive losses and re-inventing functional roles of genes.

Transposable elements and gene amplifications can provide variation needed for novel trait refinement and adaptation to new niches, though a recalcitrant organism-environment mismatch may persist.