Sentences with phrase «of venom evolution»
«Their fangs evolved to be like hole - punchers,» says Bryan Fry, head of the venom evolution lab at the University of Queensland in Brisbane.
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«It had not particularly occurred to me as a likely mechanism of venom evolution,» admitted Wolfgang Wüster, a lecturer at Bangor University.
«Understanding the dynamics of venom evolution will help us refine not only our searches for new drugs and therapies, but also our understanding of how evolution generates chemical novelties,» Binford says.
«So we have a new addition to the theory of venom evolution; that when the target itself is under extreme negative selection pressure against change, then the toxins themselves are under similar such pressure.
Bryan Fry, head of the Venom Evolution Laboratory at the University of Queensland, generally agreed with that view in comments emailed to Quanta.
The findings enable the postulation of a new theory of venom evolution.
The proposed «two - speed» mode of venom evolution highlights the fascinating evolutionary dynamics of this complex biochemical cocktail, by showing for the first time the significant roles played by different forces of natural selection in shaping animal venoms.
Not exact matches
Our study provides unique genome - wide perspectives on the adaptive evolution of venom systems as well as protein evolution in general.
Dr Nicholas Casewell said: «These are the first snake genomes to be sequenced and fully annotated and our results in relation to the king cobra provide a unique view of the origin and evolution of snake venom, including revealing multiple genome - level adaptive responses to natural selection in this complex biological weapon system.
The results of a large - scale survey of venom variation in the two snake species, published January 8, 2015 in the journal Genetics, challenge common assumptions in venom evolution research, provide crucial information for rattlesnake conservation, and will help coral snake antivenom development.
Researchers from LSTM, along with a team of international biologists who have recently sequenced the genome of the king cobra, say that their work reveals dynamic evolution and adaptation in the snake venom system, which seemingly occurs in response to an evolutionary arms race between venomous snakes and their prey.
In contrast to positive selection, the role of purifying selection (also known as negative selection, which is the selective removal of deleterious genetic changes from a population) has rarely been considered in venom evolution.
According to Drs. Moran and Sunagar, «The «two - speed» mode of evolution of animal venoms involves an initial period of expansion, resulting in the rapid diversification of the venom arsenal, followed by longer periods of purifying selection that preserve the now potent toxin pharmacopeia.
This process was hypothesized to result from an evolutionary chemical arms race, in which the invention of potent venom in the predatory animals and the evolution of venom resistance in their prey animals, exert reciprocal selection pressures.
The analyses are highlighting the tangled paths of spider evolution, bringing into focus the complexities of spider silk and venom, and suggesting molecular - based ways to study these animals» behaviors.
That surprisingly low number suggested the evolution of new species was accompanied by rapid turnover of the venom genes, with old genes being abandoned and new ones with novel venom functions suddenly arising.
«Exploring the evolution of spider venom to improve human health.»
The data being collected by Garb and Binford and their colleagues have the potential to increase our understanding of the evolution of spider venom and contribute to the discovery of new medicines, anti-venoms and insecticides.
It would be comforting to think that a few hundred million years of evolution have put considerable distance between us and our insect kin, but only some of us are immune to insect - killing venoms.
«We only plan to produce a handful of Venom GT's in 2016 as we are also preparing for our next evolution, the Venom F5», said Hennessey.