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RECOMBINATION. “Despite this, clear evidence of recombination has been observed among cif genes from wPip, which infects C. pipiens mosquitoes. wPip strains can carry multiple copies of Type I cif genes, and recombination between closely related paralogs correlates with different CI crossing types.” (CI = cytoplasmic incompatibility). https://lnkd.in/dXjWp9f View in LinkedIn

FRAGMENT FROM NATURE continues from last weekend and concludes this weekend on the evolutionary strategy of Wolbachia bacteria to control their host zygote survival by cytoplasmic compatability. This extreme strategy has made them a very successful parasite. View in LinkedIn

A variegated leaf which shows very similar repeating patterns to water drainage valleys when seen from the air. View in LinkedIn

MERGING DISCIPLINES. “During the last several decades of the twentieth century, particle physics increasingly drove advances in cosmology. Meanwhile, particle physicists had pushed the limits of existing particle accelerators and public funding for yet larger instruments. They turned increasingly to cosmology for information regarding the behavior of matter under extreme conditions, such as prevailed in the early universe.” https://lnkd.in/dyGzxWR View in LinkedIn

TRANSITION STATES. “While a black hole horizon, even if it is not an event horizon, at least forms part of a FCH, a white hole horizon does not. The black hole horizon in my BH to WH scenarios is consistent with the GSL.” (FCH = future causal horizon; BH = black hole; WH = white hole; GSL = generalized second law). https://lnkd.in/dUKnus8 View in LinkedIn

SURVIVAL STRATEGY. “The pervasive horizontal transfer of cif genes may allow them to evade inevitable extinction within symbiont lineages by escaping into a new symbiont population. This process is analogous to the evolution of transposable elements, which frequently go extinct within host species, but persist long term by jumping into new species.” https://lnkd.in/dXjWp9f View in LinkedIn

CROSSING SPECIES BARRIER. “Consistent with this process of clade selection, Wolbachia frequently jumps between host species. Our observations suggest that clade selection may also be acting at the level of the cif genes as Wolbachia genomes appear to be frequently recolonized by cif genes from other symbionts.” https://lnkd.in/dXjWp9f View in LinkedIn

HORIZONTAL TRANSFER. “The frequent loss of cif genes raises a paradox when trying to explain the high prevalence of CI across Wolbachia strains. Hurst and McVean (1996) argued that CI-inducing Wolbachia infections were more likely to transfer horizontally between host species, so symbiont strains that induce CI are more likely to persist over an evolutionary timescale.” (CI = cytoplasmic incompatibility). https://lnkd.in/dXjWp9f View in LinkedIn

REMAINING QUESTIONS. “In particular, the identification of the insect factors targeted by the sperm modification may soon allow us to study the coevolution of cif genes with the insect reproductive system. Finally, a deeper analysis of divergent cif homologs found outside Wolbachia should allow us to address questions around the deep evolutionary origin of CI and may reveal novel functions of these genes.” (CI = cytoplasmic incompatibility). https://lnkd.in/dXjWp9f View in LinkedIn