In evolutionary theory, natural selection 1 describes why some things exist and others do not 2. Darwin’s theory of evolution and its modern synthesis point out how selection among variants in the ...

For a long time, evolutionary biologists have thought that the genetic mutations that drive the evolution of genes and proteins are largely neutral: they're neither good nor bad, but just ordinary ...

Galápagos wild tomatoes are rewriting evolutionary history, exhibiting a 'reverse evolution' by reactivating ancient genetic defenses lost millions of years ago. This phenomenon, observed on younger ...

All plants and animals are host to a community of microorganisms, their microbiotas, which have crucial influences on the life history and performance of their hosts. Despite the importance of such ...

Assembly Theory is a way to understand how the complexity of life emerged through a mechanism of “self-assembly.” It could explain how life formed on Earth—or other planets—via the shortest path to ...

For more than half a century, many biologists have leaned on the neutral theory of molecular evolution to explain how DNA and proteins change over time. The idea grew from early work in the 1960s, ...

The publication of An Intimate History of Evolution: The Story of the Huxley Family by Alison Bashford in October 2022 highlights the history of two pivotal figures in the development of modern ...

In the article "To Effectively Discuss Evolution, First Define 'Theory'" in the May 12 issue of The Scientist (R. Lewis, page 13), it was stated that the term "theory of evolution" should be replaced ...

In October, a paper titled “Assembly theory explains and quantifies selection and evolution” appeared in the top science journal Nature. The authors – a team led by Lee Cronin at the University of ...