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SILK STRENGTH BIOCHEMISTRY. "The incredible strength of spider dragline silk is attributable to the formation of β-sheet crystals during fibre extrusion. The β-sheet crystals predominately consist of poly-alanine and poly-(glycine–alanine) repeats that are found in two types of fibroin proteins known as MA spidroins 1 and 2 (MaSp1 and MaSp2)." https://lnkd.in/dHWBg9g View in LinkedIn

DIVERSE TOOLKIT. "Our study quantifies the mechanical and material properties of the fibrous silks spun by Argiope argentata. As a whole, the silks possess extraordinary properties, but are also strikingly diverse. These silks provide orb-weaving spiders with diverse toolkits of fibers that seem fine-tuned for particular ecological functions. This variety is reflected in not just the distinctive mechanical properties of each silk, but also in the underlying molecular structures and amino acid sequences of the fibroins." https://lnkd.in/dHR5T8n View in LinkedIn

SILK PROPERTIES. "In addition to high levels of structural diversity among webs, the biomechanical properties of silks are also highly variable. This variation may be due to a range of physiological and abiotic mechanisms, such as the rate of spinning, pH levels in the silk glands, humidity and temperature. Diet may also influence availability of silk proteins, which will in turn affect silk properties." https://lnkd.in/dHWBg9g View in LinkedIn

REVERSAL OF INFORMATION FLOW. "Higher levels of organization into a biological system should be characterized by a transition from bottom-up to top-down causation, mediated by a reversal in the dominant direction of information flow." https://lnkd.in/dTS7dFy View in LinkedIn

SPIDER BODY SIZE. "While past research suggested that small spiders producing thin diameter silks should compensate evolutionarily by producing tougher fibres, recent research instead reveals that evolutionary increases in orb spider body sizes are accompanied by concerted improvements in many different silk properties and web architectures." https://lnkd.in/dHWBg9g View in LinkedIn

BOTTOM-UP AND TOP-DOWN. "A full explanatory framework for biological processes should therefore include both bottom-up causation – such as when a gene is read-out to make a protein that affects cellular behavior – and top-down causation – as occurs when changes in the environment initiate an organismal response that permeates all the way down to the level of individual genes." https://lnkd.in/dTS7dFy View in LinkedIn

STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION. "A better understanding of how silks interact with web structures during prey capture, how and why silk properties vary at individual and interspecific levels, and what selective pressures drive the evolution of silk properties will reveal new possibilities for the application of silk analogues." https://lnkd.in/dHWBg9g View in LinkedIn

ONE GIANT LEAP? "Phylogenomic reconstructions show that the characteristic eukaryotic complexity arose almost 'ready made', without any intermediate grades seen between the prokaryotic and eukaryotic levels of organization. Explaining this apparent leap in complexity at the origin of eukaryotes is one of the principal challenges of evolutionary biology." https://lnkd.in/d_D8bWi View in LinkedIn

ANCIENT OVERLAPS. "The organizational complexity of the eukaryotic cells is complemented by extremely sophisticated, cross-talking signaling networks. Eukaryotes all share the main features of cellular architecture and the regulatory circuitry that clearly differentiate them from prokaryotes, although the ancestral forms of some signature eukaryotic systems are increasingly detected in prokaryotes." https://lnkd.in/d_D8bWi View in LinkedIn

ENGULFMENT EVENTS. "The key events in the evolution of eukaryotes were the acquisition of the nucleus, the endomembrane system, and mitochondria. It is now established beyond reasonable doubt that mitochondria are derived from endosymbiotic α-proteobacteria." http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7007/12/76 View in LinkedIn