Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Leonard Dewaele, Pavel Gol'din, Felix G. Marx, Olivier Lambert, Michel Laurin, Theodor Obada, Vivian de Buffrenil
Summary: The dense bone condition, pachyosteosclerosis, re-emerged in Miocene seals, dolphins, and whales from the Paratethys Sea, possibly due to the beneficial effects of dense bones acting as ballast in denser and more buoyant water.
Article
Paleontology
Jacqueline M. T. Nguyen
Summary: This study describes a new fossil bird species, the bullhorn bird, a rhinoceros hornbill that existed in Keefer Bay. The bullhorn bird is a smaller species of hornbill and is one of the oldest birds in Europe. The ages of these fossils are consistent with the divergence time of its close relatives, highlighting the importance of the early evolutionary history of birds.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jose Cerca
Summary: Studying the concepts and definitions of parallel and convergent evolution is crucial for understanding evolutionary patterns. A consolidated framework is proposed to address the inconsistencies and confusion in existing concepts and definitions. This framework aims to harmonize the concepts of parallel and convergent evolution with natural selection and the idea of similarity.
Article
Biology
Yirong Wang, Xiaolu Tang, Jian Lu
Summary: The evolution of microRNAs in bilaterian animals has been extensively studied, with a focus on both convergent and divergent evolution. Recent evidence suggests that the miRNA pathway might have already existed in the last common ancestor of eukaryotes, and differences in animal and plant lineages arise from lineage-specific innovations and losses. The miRNA repertoire has expanded through de novo creation and duplication processes, with many newly emerged miRNAs being lineage-specific. MiRNA clustering and seed mimicry contribute to the convergent molecular evolution of miRNAs, and miRNAs from different sources can converge to degrade maternal mRNAs during animal development. MiRNAs can evolve across species due to changes in sequence, seed shifting, arm switching, and spatiotemporal expression patterns, resulting in variations in target sites among orthologous miRNAs.
BIOLOGICAL REVIEWS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Francois Osiurak, Nicolas Claidiere, Alexandre Bluet, Joel Brogniart, Salome Lasserre, Timothe Bonhoure, Laura Di Rollo, Neo Gorry, Yohann Polette, Alix Saude, Giovanni Federico, Natalie Uomini, Emanuelle Reynaud
Summary: Understanding the evolution of human technology is crucial for solving the mystery of our origins. Current theories suggest that technology evolves through the accumulation of advantageous modifications and the selective retention of these variations. Another explanation is that technical reasoning supports high-fidelity transmission in the context of cumulative technological culture, allowing individuals to converge to optimal solutions. In a microsociety experiment, we tested these competing hypotheses and found that the system improved over generations, accompanied by an increased understanding and progressive convergence of solutions. These findings highlight the role of technical reasoning in the cultural evolution of technology.
Article
Biology
Jory Thiel, Muzaffar A. Khan, Roel M. Wouters, Richard J. Harris, Nicholas R. Casewell, Bryan G. Fry, R. Manjunatha Kini, Stephen P. Mackessy, Freek J. Vonk, Wolfgang Wuster, Michael K. Richardson
Summary: Convergence is the phenomenon where similar phenotypes evolve independently in different lineages. Resistance to toxins in animals is an example of convergence, where molecular adaptations have evolved to counteract the harmful effects of toxins. However, resistance adaptations may carry fitness costs if they disrupt the normal physiology of the resistant animal.
BIOLOGICAL REVIEWS
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Taro Nojiri, Laura A. B. Wilson, Camilo Lopez-Aguirre, Vuong Tan Tu, Shigeru Kuratani, Kai Ito, Hiroki Higashiyama, Nguyen Truong Son, Dai Fukui, Alexa Sadier, Karen E. Sears, Hideki Endo, Satoshi Kamihori, Daisuke Koyabu
Summary: The study found that laryngeal echolocation in bats may have multiple origins, supporting the hypothesis of a non-echolocating bat ancestor and independent gain of echolocation in Yinpterochiroptera and Yangochiroptera. Additionally, there were no developmental differences in the hearing apparatus between non-echolocating bats and terrestrial non-bat mammals.
Review
Plant Sciences
Ane C. Hjertaas, Jill C. Preston, Kent Kainulainen, Aelys M. Humphreys, Siri Fjellheim
Summary: Despite the predominance of perennial angiosperms, annuals have evolved independently multiple times, resulting in the most variable trait syndromes in flowering plants. While research has focused on understanding the forces driving the evolution of annual species and identifying traits that differentiate them from perennials, little is known about the evolution of 'annual traits' and the potential parallel evolution of these traits and genes. This review examines the distribution of annuals in both phylogenetic and environmental space and explores the evidence for convergent evolution of annuality through similar physiological, developmental, and genetic mechanisms. The study uses temperate grasses as a case study to model the evolution of annuality and proposes future directions for investigating annual-perennial transitions in other plant groups.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Giulia Zancolli, Maarten Reijnders, Robert M. Waterhouse, Marc Robinson-Rechavi
Summary: Animals have evolved specialized organs and anatomical structures to produce and release potent bioactive molecules, known as venoms, for the purpose of subduing prey or predators. A comparative analysis of venom gland transcriptomes from 20 venomous species reveals a strong convergence in gene expression profiles, indicating that different animals have independently adopted similar molecular mechanisms to perform the same function. The study also highlights the presence of stress response mechanisms in venom glands to cope with toxin production, as well as regulatory networks for epithelial development and maintenance.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Psychology, Multidisciplinary
Deniz Satik
Summary: The paper challenges the adequacy of convergent cultural evolution and functional-adaptive explanations in accounting for certain crosslinguistic phenomena. By examining the comparative evidence of cartographic syntax theories, it argues that the existence of these phenomena requires the involvement of finely ordered and complex innate categories.
FRONTIERS IN PSYCHOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Boyang Sun, Yan Liu, Shanqin Chen, Tao Deng
Summary: This study reports well-preserved skulls and postcranial specimens of the genus Hippotherium from the Linxia Basin in Gansu, China, suggesting that Hippotherium weihoense and Hippotherium chiai should be classified as the same species. Analysis indicates that H. weihoense likely lived in an open habitat, while other species may have lived in closed habitats. The results reveal a paleoecological pattern in the early Late Miocene in Eurasia influenced by geological events and differing environmental conditions in different regions.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Review
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
David L. Huston, Michael P. Doublier, Bruce Eglington, Sally Pehrsson, Steve Piercey, Patrick Mercier-Langevin
Summary: The metallogenic patterns have changed over time on convergent margins. Prior to ca. 3000 Ma, there were no recognizable patterns of deposit types. Between 3000 Ma and 1700 Ma, convergent margins were characterized by shorter-lived metallogenic histories and a single metallogenic cycle. After ca. 1700 Ma, convergent margins became longer-lived and characterized by multiple metallogenic cycles with complex histories.
EARTH-SCIENCE REVIEWS
(2023)
Review
Plant Sciences
Boaz Negin, Georg Jander
Summary: The majority of plant specialized metabolites serve as defense mechanisms against herbivores, with identical or structurally distinct compounds repeatedly targeting the same herbivorous animals. This may be due to constraints in plant primary metabolism and limited accessible targets in animals. The complex biosynthetic pathways of unique defensive compounds in individual genera or species may complicate their repeated evolution in different plant species.
CURRENT OPINION IN PLANT BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Andrew J. O'Donnell, Ruiqi Huang, Jessica J. Barboline, Todd J. Barkman
Summary: Resurrected ancient enzymes of the caffeine synthase shed light on how ancestral biosynthetic catalytic capabilities lead to the convergent evolution of similar biochemical pathways. It appears that modern-day pathways likely originated from ancestral pathways with different inferred flux, and the modern enzymes independently evolved via gene duplication with convergent catalytic characteristics differentiating multiple ancestral activities through mutations.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Kamil S. Jaron, Darren J. Parker, Yoann Anselmetti, Patrick Tran Van, Jens Bast, Zoe Dumas, Emeric Figuet, Clementine M. Francois, Keith Hayward, Victor Rossier, Paul Simion, Marc Robinson-Rechavi, Nicolas Galtier, Tanja Schwander
Summary: This study investigated the genome evolution of parthenogenetic species in the stick insect genus Timema and found that parthenogenesis leads to a significant reduction in heterozygosity and often results in genetically uniform populations. Additionally, the study revealed that parthenogenetic species experience less effective positive selection, indicating that sex is prevalent in natural populations due to its facilitation of rapid adaptation. The study also observed no increased accumulation of transposable elements in parthenogenetic species, likely due to the low TE activity in the genus. Overall, these findings provide empirical support for the negative consequences of parthenogenesis as predicted by theory.
Article
Paleontology
Kenny J. Travouillon, Kaylene Butler, Michael Archer, Suzanne J. Hand
Summary: This study describes two new fossil species of the macropodiform genus Gumardee, which provide insights into the evolution of early kangaroos. The dental morphology analysis reveals dental size variation, potentially indicating sexual dimorphism. Additionally, the dental morphology of Gumardee species shows an evolutionary trend from bunolophodont to increasingly bilophodont.
Article
Paleontology
Trevor H. Worthy, R. Paul Scofield, Steven W. Salisbury, Suzanne J. Hand, Vanesa L. De Pietri, Jacob C. Blokland, Michael Archer
Summary: The St Bathans Fauna from New Zealand is a diverse non-marine vertebrate assemblage dominated by waterfowl. A new species, Manuherikia primadividua, has been identified and its stratigraphic distribution differs from the previously known species, Manuherikia lacustrina. This study establishes the first biostratigraphical zonation in the St Bathans fossil-bearing horizons and correlates it with the pollen zonation, revealing the impact of environmental changes on species replacement.
Article
Ornithology
Trevor H. Worthy, R. Paul Scofield, Steven W. Salisbury, Suzanne J. Hand, Vanesa L. De Pietri, Michael Archer
Summary: Two new neoavian landbirds, Aegotheles zealandivetus sp. nov. and Zealandornis relictus gen. et sp. nov., were discovered from the early Miocene St Bathans Fauna in New Zealand. Aegotheles zealandivetus has more similarity to New Guinean taxa than to Australian-New Zealand species, while Zealandornis relictus is placed in the new family Zealandornithidae and shows most similarity to coliiforms. These findings highlight the unique evolutionary nature of the Zealandian fauna.
JOURNAL OF ORNITHOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Zoology
Trevor H. Worthy, R. Paul Scofield, Suzanne J. Hand, Vanesa L. De Pietri, Michael Archer
Summary: A large fossil anserine-like anatid from the early Miocene in New Zealand is described, suggesting it to be an early swan rather than a goose. This taxon represents one of the oldest anserines in the Southern Hemisphere.
Article
Paleontology
Julien Louys, Jonathan Cramb, Kyle Ferguson, Justine Kemp, Rachel Wood, Justyna J. Miszkiewicz, Nathalia Dias R. Guimaraes, Pennilyn Higgins, Kenny J. Travouillon, Scott A. Hocknull, Gregory E. Webb, Gilbert J. Price
Summary: Despite their critical importance for palaeoecological studies and the megafaunal extinction debate, the microfaunal assemblages from the Late Pleistocene to Holocene in Australia are rarely reported. However, the Capricorn Caves in central-eastern Queensland contains significant faunal records, allowing us to explore the microfaunal record of this region. The study reveals important changes in the microfaunal community of tropical Queensland between the Late Pleistocene and the late Holocene, emphasizing the importance of properly recording native faunas for modern biodiversity conservation efforts.
Article
Paleontology
Trevor H. Worthy, Vanesa L. De Pietri, R. Paul Scofield, Suzanne J. Hand
Summary: The taxa found in the Eocene deposit in Murgon, Queensland, provide significant insight into the evolution of the Australian biota. The identity of previously classified Graculavidae fossils as Murgonornis archeri gen. et sp. nov., Presbyornithidae is resolved. This study reveals the global distribution of presbyornithids in the earliest Eocene and their presence in Australia from 55 Ma until approximately 24 Ma.
Article
Paleontology
Anusuya Chinsamy, Karen H. Black, Suzanne J. Hand, Michael Archer
Summary: Despite the lack of osteohistology studies on extinct marsupials, researchers conducted a study on the bone histology of Nimbadon lavarackorum from Australia. They found that it took at least 7-8 years, possibly longer, for N. lavarackorum to reach skeletal maturity. The growth strategy in N. lavarackorum was cyclical and influenced by environmental conditions, available resources, and seasonal physiological factors.
JOURNAL OF PALEONTOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Laura A. B. Wilson, Camilo Lopez-Aguirre, Michael Archer, Suzanne J. Hand, David Flores, Fernando Abdala, Norberto P. Giannini
Summary: The high level of morphological diversity in Australasian marsupials compared to those from the Americas remains poorly understood. This study shows that variation in ontogenetic allometry among Australasian and American marsupials is similar, despite this great difference in ecomorphological diversity.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Paleontology
Arthur W. White, Michael Archer, Suzanne J. Hand, Henk Godthelp, Anna K. Gillespie
Summary: Fossils of pan-carettochelyid turtles have been found in most continents, except Antarctica. These fossils indicate a group of estuarine turtles that have maintained their body form since the Cretaceous. The only known species with ecological data is Carettochelys insculpta, found in estuarine or fresh waters in Australia and New Guinea. This study reports the discovery of an incomplete skull of a previously unknown carettoche-lyid, Carettochelys niahensis sp. nov., from a Miocene marine limestone formation in Niah Great Cave, Sarawak, Malaysia. The skull exhibits distinctive anatomical features and provides insights into the paleoecology of this turtle.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Suzanne J. Hand, Jacob Maugoust, Robin M. D. Beck, Maeva J. Orliac
Summary: This study describes a new early Eocene bat that sheds light on the relationship between early bats and modern bats. The research findings show that the bat retains archaic features characteristic of early Eocene bats, but its inner ear exhibits characteristics found in modern echolocating bats. Additionally, the study suggests that cave roosting behavior had already evolved in bats by the end of the early Eocene. This research is important for our understanding of the origins and evolution of bats.
Article
Anatomy & Morphology
Roy M. Farman, Michael Archer, Suzanne J. Hand
Summary: The morphology of the ilium in Australian frogs is taxonomically informative and can be studied using computed tomography scans without the loss of soft tissues. Our research used geometric morphometrics to compare the ilium shape of Australian frogs and found that it accurately predicted the familial and generic level groupings with high success rates.
JOURNAL OF MORPHOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Paleontology
Larisa DeSantis, Michael Archer, Karen Black, Suzanne Hand, Vera Korasidis
Summary: Through dental microwear texture analysis and stable isotope analysis of Nimbadon lavarackorum specimens, it is suggested that these marsupials may have occupied a unique ecological niche as tree-dwelling megafrugivores during the Miocene in Australia.
