A CALL FOR REFORM

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GENE DUPLICATIONS IN EVOLUTIONARY INNOVATION

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"π”Ύπ•–π•Ÿπ•– π••π•¦π•‘π•π•šπ•”π•’π•₯π•šπ• π•Ÿ π•‘π•£π• π•§π•šπ••π•–π•€ 𝕒 π•£π•–π••π•¦π•Ÿπ••π•’π•Ÿπ•”π•ͺ π•₯𝕙𝕒π•₯ 𝕗𝕣𝕖𝕖𝕀 π• π•Ÿπ•– 𝕔𝕠𝕑π•ͺ π•—π•£π• π•ž 𝕀𝕖𝕝𝕖𝕔π•₯π•šπ•§π•– π•”π• π•Ÿπ•€π•₯π•£π•’π•šπ•Ÿπ•₯, π•’π•π•π• π•¨π•šπ•Ÿπ•˜ π•šπ•₯ π•₯𝕠 𝕖𝕩𝕑𝕝𝕠𝕣𝕖 π•Ÿπ•–π•¨ π•—π•¦π•Ÿπ•”π•₯π•šπ• π•Ÿπ•’π• 𝕀𝕑𝕒𝕔𝕖." - Dr. Richard Lewontin 🧬 Gene duplications are a driving force in evolution, offering raw material for innovation. They arise through mechanisms like unequal crossing over, retroposition, or whole-genome duplication (WGD). Once a gene is duplicated, one copy can conserve its original role, while the other diverges; fueling new functions, adaptations, or even nonfunctionalization (pseudogenes).           πŸ”Ή The evolutionary fates of gene duplications includes: Subfunctionalization: split ancestral functions across duplicates. Neofunctionalization: gain of new roles, which is vital for innovation. Pseudogenization: loss of function. A classic case is the globin gene family: duplications enabled the evolution of h...
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GENOMIC ISLANDS OF SPECIATION: A GATEWAY TO EVOLUTIONARY PROCESSES

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“ℝ𝕒π•₯𝕙𝕖𝕣 π•₯π•™π•’π•Ÿ π•—π•šπ•Ÿπ••π•šπ•Ÿπ•˜ 𝕛𝕦𝕀π•₯ π•šπ•€π• π•π•’π•₯𝕖𝕕 ‘π•˜π•–π•Ÿπ• π•žπ•šπ•” π•šπ•€π•π•’π•Ÿπ••π•€’ 𝕠𝕗 π•˜π•–π•Ÿπ•–π•₯π•šπ•” π••π•šπ•§π•–π•£π•˜π•–π•Ÿπ•”π•–, 𝕨𝕖 π•šπ•Ÿπ•€π•₯𝕖𝕒𝕕 π••π•šπ•€π•”π• π•§π•–π•£π•–π•• ‘π•”π• π•Ÿπ•₯π•šπ•Ÿπ•–π•Ÿπ•₯𝕀’ 𝕠𝕗 π••π•šπ•§π•–π•£π•˜π•–π•Ÿπ•”π•– π•–π•Ÿπ•”π• π•žπ•‘π•’π•€π•€π•šπ•Ÿπ•˜ π•π•’π•£π•˜π•– 𝕀𝕨𝕒π•₯𝕙𝕀 𝕠𝕗 π•₯𝕙𝕖 π•˜π•–π•Ÿπ• π•žπ•–.” - Professor Jeffrey L. Feder 🧬 Speciation; the origin of new species remains a central puzzle in evolutionary biology. With advances in genomics, we can now highlight genomic islands of speciation: distinct regions where genetic divergence accumulates, shaping reproductive isolation and adaptation. These genomic “hotspots” reveal how evolution partitions the genome to drive biodiversity. πŸ”Ή What are genomic islands? They are regions showing disproportionate genetic differentiation compared to the genomic background. Often shaped by selective pressure, drift, or hybridization, these islands typically harbor genes linked to ecological adaptation or reproductive barriers. For...
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