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UNEQUAL EVOLUTION. "Sex differences in expression have been connected to gene divergence in numerous eukaryotes. For instance, genes with enriched transcription in males, commonly referred to as male-biased genes, typically evolve more rapidly at the protein level than female-biased or unbiased genes." https://lnkd.in/eUbE-is View in LinkedIn

GENETIC ORIGINS. "Sex differences in transcription have been linked to molecular evolution: genes with higher expression in male compared with female sexual tissues (i.e., male-biased genes) have been associated with rapid gene divergence in various animals and plants, implying that selective differences exist among the sexual structures." https://lnkd.in/eUbE-is View in LinkedIn

NEUROSPORA UNEQUAL EXPRESSION. "Differential gene expression is believed to largely explain sexually dichotomous phenotypes. This phenomenon is especially significant in hermaphrodites, in which male and female sexual tissues have identical genotypes." https://lnkd.in/eUbE-is View in LinkedIn

CASE STUDY 2. HERMAPHRODITE FUNGUS NEUROSPORA CRASSA serves to illustrate a second case of reproductive flexibility. View in LinkedIn

NEUROSPORA HARD CALL. “Fully distinguishing between natural and sexual selection is a challenging task involving aspects of molecular function, physiology, behavior, and ecology." https://lnkd.in/eUbE-is View in LinkedIn

SO ENDS this first of two weekends on the topic of biological information, which many believe is a defining part of what differentiates life from non-life. Prions are at least one exception, being relatively simple molecules that can evolve and reproduce. My favorite take-away from this section is that life is information that can replicate. This completely reframes the question and perspective, and does broadly include quirks like prions. View in LinkedIn

English rivers polluted by powerful insecticides, first tests reveal https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/dec/13/english-rivers-polluted-by-powerful-insecticides-first-tests-reveal?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other View in LinkedIn

KEY FEATURE. “We postulate that it is the transition to context-dependent causation—mediated by the onset of information control—that is the key defining characteristic of life.” https://lnkd.in/ewsT9EQ View in LinkedIn

NEUROSPORA COMPETITION BETWEEN SEXES. "Given that male-biased genes often evolve rapidly in animals/plants, which are prone to male–male competition, and female-biased genes evolve rapidly in N. crassa, which have a propensity for female–female competition, suggests sexual selection via intrasex competition is a strong candidate to explain differences in the evolution of sex-biased genes in both systems." https://lnkd.in/eUbE-is View in LinkedIn

INFORMATION AS PHENOTYPE. “To be explicit, biological information is distinctive because it possesses a type of causal efficacy —it is the information that determines the current state and hence the dynamics (and therefore also the future state(s)).” https://lnkd.in/ewsT9EQ View in LinkedIn