Bird embryos uncover homology and evolution of the dinosaur ankle Conclusion: The early formation of the limb skeleton is often assumed to be well known from ‘classic’ published lines of work using traditional techniques and model species. However, it is worth revising this basic information. New methods and better taxon sampling can provide increased detail … Epigenetics and autophagy vs mutations and evolution (6)
A neural circuit encoding sexual preference in humans Excerpt: We anticipate the identification of a core neural circuit for sexual preferences to be a starting point for further sophisticated investigations into the neural principles of sexual behavior and particularly of its aberrations. My comment: They link sexual orientation in yeasts to humans but fail to … MicroRNAs and sexual orientation
Pubmed.com “microRNA” Hedgehog signaling enables nutrition-responsive inhibition of an alternative morph in a polyphenic beetle Excerpt: Significance Complex, nongradual responses to environmental conditions are commonplace in nature and perhaps most extreme in polyphenic insects where continuous variation in nutrition experienced in early development gives rise to discrete alternative castes or morphs. This research shows that … The tipping point? 50, 000 publications (2)
The radical pair mechanism and the avian chemical compass: Quantum coherence and entanglement Excerpt: Radical pairs are usually produced as short-lived intermediates through decomposition, electron transfer, or hydrogen transfer reactions from singlet or triplet excited states. My comment: The radical pair mechanism appears to be another link from nutrient energy-dependent hydrogen-atom transfer in DNA base pairs … The radical pair mechanism of ecological speciation
Social Darwinism, A Case of Designed Ventriloquism Excerpt: In Wilson’s view, Social Darwinism “is perhaps the most important example of a term that became tainted and needs to be rescued.” According to him, from the very beginning, this term “was used as a pejorative to brand laissez faire policies that Darwin did not endorse. My … Another failed rescue attempt
New Species Abound Re: Researchers renamed, reshuffled, and revealed species… Evidently, NEW SPECIES is part of a misleading headline placed into the context of some that EMERGED. Adapted/updated from my comments on Beyond DNA See: A Cellular System for Spatial Signal Decoding in Chemical Gradients This cellular system links the sun’s anti-entropic force and the … Researchers rename, reshuffle, and reveal their ignorance
See also: A two-faced protein enables RNA-mediated DNA repair (3) The importance of DNA repair to heritability cannot be understated. Theorists who think in terms of mutations and evolution are biologically uninformed and may never have learned anything about DNA repair. Serious scientists are overloaded with information and are not likely to try to explain … A two-faced protein enables RNA-mediated DNA repair (4)
Mitochondrial functions modulate neuroendocrine, metabolic, inflammatory, and transcriptional responses to acute psychological stress Excerpt: To visualize the stress-reactive profiles across genotypes, a heat map with hierarchical clustering of the mean relative difference “stress–resting” was generated, demonstrating that each mitochondrial defect induced a different amino acid response signature (Fig. 4F). In particular, the stress-reactive amino acid … Stress-perturbed mitochondrial dysfunction
Relaxed genetic control of cortical organization in human brains compared with chimpanzees Abstract conclusion: A major result of increased plasticity is that the development of neural circuits that underlie behavior is shaped by the environmental, social, and cultural context more intensively in humans than in other primate species, thus providing an anatomical basis for behavioral … Cell type differentiation: atoms to ecosystems
Summary: Given what is currently known about RNA-mediated cell type differentiation in all genera, it may be impossible for theorists to link mutations to evolution via glycosylation. miRNA proxy approach reveals hidden functions of glycosylation Abstract excerpt: Glycosylation, the most abundant posttranslational modification, holds an unprecedented capacity for altering biological function. Journal article excerpt: …glycans … microRNAs, glycosylation, and genomes
