Why Aren’t All People Beautiful?

Sue Wu submitted, created time 1 year 3 weeks (discovermagazine.com)

Natural selection, we’re told, is the process by which nature promotes our best qualities. But a look around strains that notion. If nature selects health, beauty, and intelligence, why are most of us far from flawless?

1 comment | Blog It | Email It | Keywords: human reproduction sex gender populations sexual selection sexually antagonistic genes genetic diversity Natural Selection

Biological invasions can begin with just 1 insect

richard submitted, created time 1 year 3 months (www.eurekalert.org)

A new study by York University biologists Amro Zayed and Laurence Packer has shown that a lone insect can initiate a biological invasion. Zayed, a recent graduate of Packer's lab, examined patterns of genetic diversity in both native European and invasive North American populations of a solitary bee. He concluded that the invasion was most likely founded by one mated female. The study is published in the open-access journal PLoS ONE.

1 comment | Blog It | Email It | Keywords: insect invasion genetic diversity

Patterns of interactions specificity of fungus-growing termites and Termitomyces symbionts in South Africa

DanyC submitted, created time 1 year 5 months (www.biomedcentral.com)

"Interaction specificity was high at the genus level and generally much lower at the species level. A comparison of the observed diversity among fungal symbionts with the diversity among termite hosts, indicated that the fungal symbiont does not follow the general pattern of an endosymbiont, as they found either similar diversity at both sides or higher diversity in the symbiont. Their results further challenge the hypothesis that transmission-mode is a general key-determinant of interaction specificity in fungus-growing termites."

Submit comment | Blog It | Email It | Keywords: viral diversity RNA structural diversity genetic diversity

Genetic diversity the key to malaria's success

Nonvalidation of Reported Genetic Risk Factors for Acute Coronary Syndrome in a Large-Scale Replication Study

alpha submitted, created time 1 year 8 months (jama.ama-assn.org)

"Our null results provide no support for the hypothesis that any of the 85 genetic variants tested is a susceptibility factor for ACS. These results emphasize the need for robust replication of putative genetic risk factors before their introduction into clinical care. "

1 comment | Blog It | Email It | Keywords: genetic variant genotype genetic factors genetic diversity

Genetic Diversity and Selection at the Plasmodium vivax Apical Membrane Antigen-1 (PvAMA-1) Locus in a Sri Lankan Population

alpha submitted, created time 1 year 8 months (mbe.oxfordjournals.org)

"Plasmodium vivax apical membrane antigen 1 (PvAMA-1) is an important malaria vaccine candidate. We present the first comprehensive analysis of nucleotide diversity across the entire PvAMA-1 gene using a single population sample from Sri Lanka. In contrast to what has been observed at the AMA-1 locus of Plasmodium falciparum, the signature of diversifying selection is seen most strongly in Domain II of PvAMA-1, indicating that the different domains in each species may be subject to varying selective pressures and functional constraints."

Submit comment | Blog It | Email It | Keywords: selection Plasmodium vivax genetic diversity recombination

Nectar is not a simple soft drink

newsdigg submitted, created time 1 year 10 months (www.eurekalert.org)

The sugar-containing nectar secreted by plants and consumed by pollinators shares a number of similarities to fitness drinks, including ingredients such as amino acids and vitamins. In addition to these components, nectar can also contain secondary metabolites such as the alkaloid nicotine and other toxic compounds. A question raised, why would plants risk poisoning the insects and birds that provide pollination services? Amazedly?

3 comments | Blog It | Email It | Keywords: Nicotine genetic diversity