19 December, 2013 – 09:31 april holloway Entire Neanderthal genome finally mapped – with amazing results Excerpt (with my emphasis): “Only 96 genes responsible for making proteins in cells are different between modern humans and Neanderthals. Intriguingly, some of the gene differences involve ones involved in both immune responses and the development of brain cells in people.” “Somewhere within … 96 fixed amino acid substitutions, not 96 genes
In his posts that I have linked below, Jay R. Feierman takes us from random mutations on which natural selection acts to natural selection for phenotypes and changes in the brain that lead to increased reproductive success. According to him, the change in the brain can be called an adaptation. In my model, ecological variation … Jay R. Feierman
‘Undruggable’ mutation meets its match: Six-year effort yields first drug to target important cancer gene See also: Drug discovery: Pocket of opportunity[subscription required] Excerpt: “.,.the non-mutated protein is the beating heart of cell signalling, but mutated versions are the villainous masterminds of malignancies.” and see K-Ras(G12C) inhibitors allosterically control GTP affinity and effector interactions [subscription … Targeting a cancer gene
Researchers propose new theory to explain seeds of life in asteroids October 1st, 2013 in Space & Earth / Space Exploration Excerpted from above: Both of the established theories – one involving the same radioactive process that heats the interior of Earth, and the other involving the interaction of plasma (super-heated gases that behave somewhat … Seeds of life: astrobiological theory and mutations theory
Q & A: Evolution Makes Do By Chris Palmer Evolutionary biologist Andreas Wagner argues that many evolutionary innovations may have non-adaptive origins. Excerpt: “If exaptations are pervasive, then natural selection—which few doubt is critical for the preservation and spreading of traits—may not be that important for the origin of innovations in life’s history.” See also: … Evolution: innovations may have non-adaptive origins (sans mutations)
