NeoDarwinian Review

Article "Treasure trove' of new CRISPR systems holds promise for genome editing," Nature (11/23) Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR) and CRISPR-associated (Cas) proteins have emerged as revolutionary tools for gene editing, enabling precise modifications to the genetic code. While the CRISPR-Cas9 system has garnered widespread attention, the vast diversity of CRISPR-Cas systems within the microbial world remains largely untapped. Leveraging the power of computational analysis, researchers have employed an algorithm to sift through hundreds of millions of genetic sequences from bacteria and archaea. This comprehensive exploration unearthed a treasure trove of over 2,000 novel CRISPR-Cas systems, many of which exhibit exceptional rarity in nature. These newly discovered CRISPR-Cas systems hold immense promise for expanding the repertoire of genome editing tools. Their unique properties could pave the way for overcoming limitation...

The article : ” Diversity, evolution, and classification of the RNA-guided nucleases TnpB and Cas12 ” by Han Altae-Tran, et al.(11/23), describes the TnpB protein family and its diverse roles in bacterial and archaeal genomes. The authors found that TnpB proteins are remarkably adaptable and have been recruited for a variety of functions beyond their ancestral role in transposition. The most common example of this is the development of TnpB proteins into type V CRISPR-Cas effectors, which are enzymes that defend cells against viruses and other invaders. The authors also identified other cases where TnpB proteins have been exapted for new functions, such as acting as toxins or regulators. These findings highlight the remarkable developmentally  flexibility of the TnpB scaffold and suggest that TnpB proteins may have many more undiscovered roles in biology. Key findings of the article: TnpB proteins are among the most abundant proteins encoded in bacterial and archaeal ...

Here is a list of 10 animals that have not evolved: Horseshoe crab: Horseshoe crabs have been around for over 450 million years and have changed very little during that time. They are often referred to as "living fossils" because they have remained so unchanged for so long. Coelacanth: Coelacanths were thought to be extinct until one was caught in a fishing net in 1938. They are also considered living fossils, as they have changed very little in the past 400 million years. Nautilus: Nautiluses are cephalopods, like squid and octopuses, but they have a spiral shell and tentacles. They have been around for over 500 million years and have changed very little during that time. Shark: Sharks have been around for over 400 million years and have changed very little during that time. They are often referred to as "perfect predators" because of their efficient design. Crocodile: Crocodiles have been around for over 200 million years and have changed very lit...

The article   "A Kuhnian revolution in molecular biology: Most genes in complex organisms express regulatory RNAs" (11/23) heralds a profound transformation in our comprehension of gene function in complex organisms. Thomas Kuhn's groundbreaking work, "The Structure of Scientific Revolutions," proposed that scientific progress alternates between periods of normal science, characterized by routine problem-solving within an established framework, and revolutionary periods, marked by a fundamental shift in the prevailing paradigm. Within the conventional paradigm of molecular biology, genes were primarily viewed as protein-coding entities, the molecular machinery that drives cellular processes. However, a growing body of evidence indicates that a substantial fraction of the genome, particularly in complex organisms, gives rise to non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs)(aka Junk RNA), which play critical regulatory roles in gene expression. This realization challeng...

Article : Whitefly Hijacks a Plant Detoxification Gene That Neutralizes Plant Toxins Introduction Plants have developed a vast array of defense mechanisms to protect themselves from herbivores, including the production of toxic secondary metabolites. One such group of secondary metabolites is phenolic glucosides, which are found in a wide variety of plants. However, many herbivores have developed resistance to these toxins, enabling them to feed on these plants without harm. The whitefly, Bemisia tabaci, is a cosmopolitan agricultural pest that is known for its ability to vector several plant pathogenic viruses. Whiteflies are also highly polyphagous, meaning that they can feed on a wide variety of plant species. One of the mechanisms that contributes to the whitefly's success is its ability to detoxify phenolic glucosides. A recent study published in the journal Cell has shown that whiteflies have acquired a plant-derived phenolic glucoside malonyltransferase gene, BtP...