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.
Replicating experimental evolution from ancestral proteins shows that historical contingency steadily overwhelms chance and necessity as the primary cause of evolutionary variation in molecular sequences on long phylogenetic timescales.
A combination of genetics, experimental evolution and mathematical modelling defines information necessary to predict the outcome of short-term adaptive evolution.
Selective forces imposed by the squid animal host drive rapid adaptation of non-native Vibrio fischeri bacteria through convergent mutations of large effect, unmasking preexisting coordinated regulation of symbiosis.
A series of selective events, each improving fitness relative to an immediate predecessor, can result in organisms that are less fit compared to a distant ancestor.
The ability to share resources for the benefit of all members of a group may have driven ancient organisms to evolve from a unicellular to a multicellular state.
Experimental evolution shows that when selection acts on two traits constrained by a trade-off, the direction of phenotypic evolution depends on the environment.
A novel computation tool for microbial community modeling predicts the evolution and diversification of E. coli in laboratory evolution experiments and gives insight into the underlying metabolic processes.
A new opsin receptor is light-sensitive and expressed in a unique type of photoreceptor in a flatworm that encloses over 400 sensory cilia within its cell membrane.
