jmaereed

[jmaereed @jmaereed]

While fevers are often viewed as bad, fevers are actually a protective mechanism that can enhance immune-cell function and promote antimicrobial activity. Recent studies conclude that may be better to take a permissive approach to fever. https://t.co/xla98REuDa @OxyEvo

[jmaereed @jmaereed]

Unlike other pathogens, SARS-Cov2 expresses conditional virulence, which is how it escapes the evolutionary trade-off that would otherwise lower its overall fitness. This is why public health measures are esp. important now. Stay safe, everyone!
https://t.co/Z5QprJRoPj @OxyEvo

[jmaereed @jmaereed]

Talking about race in a biological context is especially important for reducing racial inequities in health and minimizing systemic racism. By learning that race is not biologically meaningful, we can better address racial injustices. https://t.co/FYGpcy80P9 @OxyEvo

[jmaereed @jmaereed]

By linking DNA methylation patterns with loss-of-function phenotypes, scientists were able to reconstruct a Denisovan anatomical profile! They appeared to share many traits with Neanderthals, but may have had wider jaws and skulls. https://t.co/BjzEXyUWqR @OxyEvo

[jmaereed @jmaereed]

Using an improved understanding of genetics, scientists report that tigers comprise six subspecies rather than two. These results are important for preserving what is left of tigers' genetic diversity. https://t.co/oTk39Rr67x @OxyEvo

[jmaereed @jmaereed]

While an umbrella species is as important conservation strategy, it is important to be aware of the approaches weaknesses and what background species need protection. Picking the right umbrella species is key. https://t.co/QAeulEBZeW @OxyEvo

[jmaereed @jmaereed]

@jkuo_evobio @OxyEvo exactly!! I guess they were all just born artists

[jmaereed @jmaereed]

The Japanese Pufferfish creates these amazing geometric formations to attract a mate, representing just how complex courtship displays can be in intersexual selection. As David Attenborough says, "If this doesn't get him noticed, nothing will." https://t.co/yneEXIr1k0 @OxyEvo

[jmaereed @jmaereed]

The competition is fierce out here for the satin bowerbird. This species gets its name from its unique courtship behavior, where males construct bowers decorated with a collection of random objects to attract the female. https://t.co/2nX7LaLmZG @OxyEvo

[jmaereed @jmaereed]

The Arctic codfishes and Antarctic notothenioids have independently evolved antifreeze glycoprotein (AFGP) genes to survive in frigid waters. These evolved de novo from non-coding DNA, coinciding with glaciations 10-15 Ma
https://t.co/FYMgtgbzRe
@OxyEvo

[jmaereed @jmaereed]

It turns out β-defensins have evolved by gene duplication and recruitment into venom defensin-like peptide (OvDLP) genes, which is a major component of platypus venom. This is very similar to how snake venom evolved! @OxyEvo
https://t.co/EXdZG2i6OO

[jmaereed @jmaereed]

While tawny owls are evolving in response to climate change, American pikas are exhibiting behavioral plasticity. This species is considered a climate indicator and is important for monitoring changes in our environment.
https://t.co/OQDk9RuJ7t @OxyEvo

[jmaereed @jmaereed]

In addition to the tawny owl, here are 9 other species that are adapting in response to climate change. Usually, evolution occurs along time scales of a thousand or more years, but climate change is forcing adaptive evolution to occur more quickly
https://t.co/Am4iFqJdMX
@OxyEvo

[jmaereed @jmaereed]

It turns out that Darwin's finches and Hawaiian honeycreepers, two examples of adaptive radiation in birds, may experience unusually rapid evolution because of a tighter coevolution of the beak and rest of the skull than in most landbird lineages
https://t.co/bofQodel0d @OxyEvo

[jmaereed @jmaereed]

In addition to Darwin's finches of the Galapagos, there are also many other classic examples of adaptive radiation including in the African cichlids! Many molecular mechanisms shaped their genome, providing a rich source for future genomic analyses
https://t.co/9TFVn53CwL @OxyEvo

[jmaereed @jmaereed]

a research article that discusses carriers of a mutated GJB2 gene. recessive mutations may lead to autosomal non-syndromic hearing loss (NSHL), but there may also be a heterozygous advantage that leads to an improved barrier against infection
https://t.co/XfFFJIuWyJ
@OxyEvo

[jmaereed @jmaereed]

an example of negative frequency-dependent selection between side-blotched lizards that plays out like rock-paper-scissors! apparently, this system has maintained these three colored morphs for 15 million years
https://t.co/NRc3UcDB7e
@OxyEvo

[jmaereed @jmaereed]

our discussion of genetics made me realize just how terrible dog inbreeding can be and, sadly, how often it happens anyway

https://t.co/GkcpG4qpeD
@OxyEvo

[jmaereed @jmaereed]

did you know there may be two different species of red pandas? this classification raises a lot of interesting questions about conservation and if a genetic divide between the two should be maintained
https://t.co/mFg00S1uHJ
@OxyEvo

[jmaereed @jmaereed]

an interesting read on tetrachromacy, a genetic mutation in the X chromosome that can allow a person to see 100x as many colors as the average person. but I learned that it's a little more complicated than just having four cones
https://t.co/Pww6CY2FFS @OxyEvo