Tag: Evolution

Researchers examine the evolutionary race between SARS-CoV-2 and human defenses

Analysis indicated the number of mutations in the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) receptor-binding domain (RBD) doubles every 72 days. As the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic continues infecting more people, SARS-CoV-2 is also evolving. Several new variants of the virus have now been discovered, some more infectious than the original strains. This

Scientists receive grant to investigate tumor development within a natural environment

Unlike many of us during the COVID-19 pandemic, biological cells are not isolated from the outside world. Chemical variations, intercellular activity, and other microenvironmental factors impact cell survival. The relationship between cell and environment also applies to the development of cancer, which a team of Virginia Tech scientists is now researching. After receiving a $1.4

SARS-CoV-2 evolves antibody resistance in immunocompromised patient

Researchers in the United States who tracked the evolution of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in an immunocompromised patient found that convalescent plasma therapy was associated with the emergence of viral variants that were less susceptible to neutralizing antibodies. The SARS-CoV-2 virus is the agent responsible for the coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic that

The history of humanity in your face

The face you see in the mirror is the result of millions of years of evolution and reflects the most distinctive features that we use to identify and recognize each other, molded by our need to eat, breath, see, and communicate. But how did the modern human face evolve to look the way it does?

Genomics study in Africa: Demographic history and deleterious mutations

Scientists from the Institut Pasteur set out to understand how the demographic changes associated with the Neolithic transition also influenced the efficacy of natural selection. By comparing the genome diversity of more than 300 individuals from groups of forest hunter-gatherers (pygmies) and farmers (Bantu-speaking peoples), from western and eastern Central Africa, they discovered that the