Article
Entomology
Danon Clemes Cardoso, Maykon Passos Cristiano
Summary: Ants are an important insect group with a wide range of chromosome numbers, from 1 to 60. DNA molecules can be quantified to study evolution at the species level. Fungus-farming ants exhibit significant variation in chromosome number across species, requiring further research.
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Yuli Li, Yaran Liu, Hongwei Yu, Fuyun Liu, Wentao Han, Qifan Zeng, Yuehuan Zhang, Lingling Zhang, Jingjie Hu, Zhenmin Bao, Shi Wang
Summary: Genome miniaturization is found to be associated with locomotion activity in scallops, similar to the evolutionary process of flight in birds. The genome reduction in Asian moon scallop is caused by inactivation of transposable elements, resulting in increased expression of genes involved in energy production and decreased expression of biomineralization-related genes. This study reveals the potentially common and pivotal role of genome size fluctuation in the evolution of adaptive traits in the animal kingdom.
GENOMICS PROTEOMICS & BIOINFORMATICS
(2022)
Article
Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence
Giuseppe De Giacomo, Xavier Oriol, Riccardo Rosati, Domenico Fabio Savo
Summary: This paper studies instance-level update in DL-LiteA and shows that it has a first-order rewritability property. Updates can be reformulated into insertion and deletion instructions computable through a non-recursive Datalog program. Experiments demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach in practice.
JOURNAL OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Juergen Tomasch, Sonja Koppenhofer, Andrew S. Lang
Summary: The study investigated the conservation of CtrA regulatory network genes in alphaproteobacteria, revealing differential positioning influenced by selection pressure in orders such as Rhodobacterales, Caulobacterales, and Rhizobiales.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Zekun Huang, Wanlong Huang, Xiaolin Liu, Zhaofang Han, Guangjian Liu, Grace Afumwaa Boamah, Yi Wang, Feng Yu, Yang Gan, Qizhen Xiao, Xuan Luo, Nan Chen, Meng Liu, Weiwei You, Caihuan Ke
Summary: The nautilus, known as a living fossil, is endangered and may face extinction. The lack of genomic information hinders understanding of its biology and evolution, but research reveals strong adaptability and long-term survival in its evolutionary process.
MOLECULAR ECOLOGY RESOURCES
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Yanlei Feng, Xiaoguo Xiang, Delara Akhter, Ronghui Pan, Zhixi Fu, Xiaohua Jin
Summary: This study decoded the mitochondrial genomes of Fagales, revealing their dynamic and mosaic characteristics, potentially influenced by independent and unequal transfers of third-party DNA.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Biology
Xianrong Xie, Huilong Du, Huiwu Tang, Jianian Tang, Xiyu Tan, Weizhi Liu, Tie Li, Zhansheng Lin, Chengzhi Liang, Yao-Guang Liu
Summary: This study successfully generated a high-quality genome assembly of Oryza rufipogon, revealing insights into the genomic structure of the wild rice, its homology with cultivated rice, and the polyphyletic origins of O. sativa subspecies.
SCIENCE CHINA-LIFE SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Marine
Haiyu Gao, Hui Kang, Yaolei Zhang, Jiahao Wang, Wenzhi Lin, Peijun Zhang, Mingli Lin, Mingming Liu, Guangyi Fan, Songhai Li
Summary: This article describes the genome assembly and comparative genomics analysis of the rough-toothed dolphin. The chromosome-level genome assembly and gene sets showed high completeness, and several positively selected genes specific to the species were identified. The research also estimated the demographic dynamics of the dolphin, finding that the population was influenced by climate. This study has important implications for future evolutionary research and the conservation of the species.
JOURNAL OF MARINE SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Biology
Frederique La Richeliere, Gabriel Munoz, Benoit Guenard, Robert R. Dunn, Evan P. Economo, Scott Powell, Nathan J. Sanders, Michael D. Weiser, Ehab Abouheif, Jean-Philippe Lessard
Summary: This study investigated the geographical distribution of worker polymorphism in ants and found that arid regions are hotspots of superorganism complexity. Tropical savannahs and deserts have the highest densities of polymorphic ants, despite being species-poor relative to tropical or temperate forests. The possible adaptive advantages of worker polymorphism in arid environments are discussed.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Minjie Li, Yongzhi Yang, Renping Xu, Wenjie Mu, Ying Li, Xingxing Mao, Zeyu Zheng, Hao Bi, Guoqian Hao, Xiaojie Li, Xiaoting Xu, Zhenxiang Xi, Nawal Shrestha, Jianquan Liu
Summary: Tetracentron sinense and Trochodendron aralioides, two ancient tree species in eastern China, with smaller genome sizes, experienced changes in effective population size with the mainland species having a larger size than the island species. Through genome sequencing, they were found to have undergone whole-genome duplications and show distinctly diverged clades across their distribution range. These results provide important genomic resources for early trait evolution in core eudicots and aid conservation efforts.
MOLECULAR ECOLOGY RESOURCES
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Natalia Borowska-Zuchowska, Magdalena Senderowicz, Dana Trunova, Bozena Kolano
Summary: Cytogenetics is a branch of genetics focused on cellular components, especially chromosomes, and their relationship to heredity, genome structure, function, and evolution. Modern cytogenetic approaches allow for the visualization of different sequences in the plant genome and contribute to understanding its evolutionary history.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yong Gao, Yanan Zhang, Chen Feng, Honglong Chu, Chao Feng, Haibo Wang, Lifang Wu, Si Yin, Chao Liu, Huanhuan Chen, Zhumei Li, Zhengrong Zou, Lizhou Tang
Summary: In this study, a chromosome-level genome assembly of Amorphophallus konjac was generated, revealing the mechanisms underlying the large genome size and the key genes involved in glucomannan biosynthesis. The expansion of transposable elements was found to contribute to the large genome size, and valuable candidate genes for molecular breeding of this crop were identified.
COMPUTATIONAL AND STRUCTURAL BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Danon Clemes Cardoso, Mariana Neves Moura, Maykon Passos Cristiano
Summary: Heterochromatin, comprised of repetitive DNA sequences, plays an important role in chromosome structure and function. This study found that AT-rich heterochromatin is present in psammophilous Mycetophylax species, and the genome size is correlated with the proportion of adenine and thymine. The dynamic development of AT-rich heterochromatin and karyotype repatterning contribute to the diversification of psammophilous Mycetophylax ants.
INSECT MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Kenta Adachi, Ai Yoshizumi, Takashi Kuramochi, Ryusuke Kado, Sei-Ichi Okumura
Summary: The genome size (C-value) of a species is an important characteristic closely related to organism evolution. Our study suggests a potential positive correlation between AT content and C-value in the cephalopods lineages, and a negative correlation in the gastropod lineages. The reduction of C-value in the Bivalvia lineage is unlikely due to selective deletion of AT-rich regions.
Article
Plant Sciences
Luis Diaz-Garcia, Luis Fernando Garcia-Ortega, Maria Gonzalez-Rodriguez, Luis Delaye, Massimo Iorizzo, Juan Zalapa
Summary: The American cranberry is an important fruit crop model due to its unique fruit composition, recent domestication, and various reproductive modes. This study presents the first chromosome-scale genome assembly of cranberry, providing insights into its genetic history and evolutionary relationships with other plant species. Phylogenetic analysis also identified potential regulators of anthocyanin biosynthesis in cranberry fruit.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Area Studies
Andrey Korotayev, Alina A. Khokhlova
Summary: The study found that in the MENA region after the Arab Spring, monarchy has become a stronger predictor of destabilization after 2011, compared to before. Monarchies in the region were able to preserve their stabilization capacity during 2011-2012 and even grew substantially in the face of radical Islamist activities from 2013 to 2016.
JOURNAL OF ASIAN AND AFRICAN STUDIES
(2022)
Article
Business
Leonid Grinin, Anton Grinin, Andrey Korotayev
Summary: Among the many impacts of the pandemic, one of the most important is the acceleration of a new technological wave and paradigm. This is driven by the need for development in medicine, bio- and nanotechnology, and artificial intelligence, which will converge in what is known as the MANBRIC convergence. The experience of dealing with COVID-19 has confirmed that the final phase of the Cybernetic Revolution will begin in the 2030s, integrating various technologies with medical needs as a central focus. The pandemic not only speeds up technological development, but also brings changes to sociopolitical and socio-administrative relations in the coming decades.
TECHNOLOGICAL FORECASTING AND SOCIAL CHANGE
(2022)
Article
Social Sciences, Interdisciplinary
Patrick S. Sawyer, Daniil M. Romanov, Maxim Slav, Andrey Korotayev
Summary: Demographic changes play a significant role in predicting protest events, with urbanization level and youth bulge size being reliable indicators. The combined effect of urbanization and youth population, urban youth bulge, is an important predictor for protests, particularly in developing countries where both youth bulges are growing.
CROSS-CULTURAL RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Political Science
Andrey Korotayev, Daniil Romanov, Julia Zinkina, Maxim Slav
Summary: Both urbanization and youth bulge are correlated with political violence and terrorism, especially when they act together. The share of urban youth in the total adult population is a more significant predictor of terrorism compared to the general youth bulge or urbanization taken separately.
POLITICAL STUDIES REVIEW
(2023)
Article
Social Sciences, Interdisciplinary
Nikita Khokhlov, Andrey Korotayev
Summary: The spread of the Internet does not necessarily lead to an increase in terrorist attacks as perpetrators rely more on offline ties. The number of connections also reflects a country's level of development, which is associated with lower terrorist activity.
CROSS-CULTURAL RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Sociology
Andrey Korotayev, Ilya Medvedev, Julia Zinkina
Summary: This article compares the efficiency of sociopolitical instability forecasting systems and finds that their predictive capacity dropped dramatically after 2011. This is attributed to the Arab Spring in 2011 acting as a trigger for a global phase transition, leading to the emergence of new patterns that were not taken into account by previous forecasting systems.
COMPARATIVE SOCIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Political Science
V. V. Ustyuzhanin, L. E. Grinin, I. A. Medvedev, A. Korotayev
Summary: This article fills a gap in the literature by conducting a cross-national analysis of the relationship between education and the type of revolutionary action. The authors find that countries with higher levels of education are more likely to have non-violent revolutionary uprisings, with education having the greatest influence on the nature of revolutions in the early stages of modernization.
POLITEIA-JOURNAL OF POLITICAL THEORY POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY AND SOCIOLOGY OF POLITICS
(2022)
Article
Religion
Peter Turchin, Harvey Whitehouse, Jennifer Larson, Enrico Cioni, Jenny Reddish, Daniel Hoyer, Patrick E. Savage, R. Alan Covey, John Baines, Mark Altaweel, Eugene Anderson, Peter Bol, Eva Brandl, David M. Carballo, Gary Feinman, Andrey Korotayev, Nikolay Kradin, Jill D. Levine, Selin E. Nugent, Andrea Squitieri, Vesna Wallace, Pieter Francois
Summary: The causes, consequences, and timing of the rise of moralizing religions in world history have been intensely debated, with limited progress due to the lack of quantitative data and divergent ideas. This study utilizes a global history databank and finds that the correlation between social complexity and moralizing religion seems to result from shared evolutionary drivers.
RELIGION BRAIN & BEHAVIOR
(2023)
Letter
Religion
Peter Turchin, Harvey Whitehouse, Jennifer Larson, Enrico Cioni, Jenny Reddish, Daniel Hoyer, Patrick E. Savage, R. Alan Covey, John Baines, Mark Altaweel, Eugene Anderson, Peter Bol, Eva Brandl, David M. Carballo, Gary Feinman, Andrey Korotayev, Nikolay Kradin, Jill D. Levine, Selin E. Nugent, Andrea Squitieri, Vesna Wallace, Pieter Francois
RELIGION BRAIN & BEHAVIOR
(2023)
Article
Sociology
Vadim V. Ustyuzhanin, Patrick S. Sawyer, Andrey Korotayev
Summary: Previous studies have found that there is a positive relationship between the number of youth and educated individuals participating in protests, but the specific forms that these protests take requires further examination. This research argues that students, as a distinct group, play a unique role in protests and are more likely to engage in non-violent forms of protest. This is due to the values, human capital, and social mobility promoted through education, as well as the cooperative platform provided by universities and the minimal costs of participation for students.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF COMPARATIVE SOCIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Social Sciences, Interdisciplinary
Vadim Ustyuzhanin, Andrey Korotayev
Summary: Is there a relationship between education and the type of revolutionary action - violent or nonviolent? Past studies found a positive relationship between education and nonviolence, but the influence of education on the choice of revolution has not been explored. This paper examines 470 NAVCO 'maximalist campaigns' and 265 revolutionary events recorded between 1950 and 2020, and finds robust evidence that higher education levels in a country are associated with a lower chance of violent revolution.
CROSS-CULTURAL RESEARCH
(2023)
Review
Sociology
Andrey Korotayev, Alisa Shishkina, Shamiran Mako, Valentine M. Moghadam
CRITICAL SOCIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Area Studies
Andrey Korotayev, Julia Zinkina
Summary: This study demonstrates the significant impact of an increased proportion of youth in the total population on sociopolitical destabilization, particularly in North Africa. The demographic dynamics in Egypt and other North African countries suggest the emergence of new youth bulges in the future, which may contribute to another wave of unrest.
JOURNAL OF NORTH AFRICAN STUDIES
(2023)
Article
Humanities, Multidisciplinary
Leonid Grinin, Anton Grinin, Andrey Korotayev
Summary: This article fills the gaps in theoretical approaches and analysis by comparing and classifying the revolutions of the 20th century, while highlighting their important characteristics.
HUMANITIES & SOCIAL SCIENCES COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Political Science
Patrick S. Sawyer, Andrey Korotayev
Summary: The research indicates that an increase in formal education may lead to an increase in peaceful protest activities, while also reducing the intensity of violent protests to some extent, playing an important role throughout the process of socio-political development. As education levels rise, there is a significant positive correlation between formal education and the intensity of anti-government protests in the early stages of development, while riots show a strong negative correlation at all stages.
POLITICAL STUDIES REVIEW
(2022)
