Phylogenetics and molecular evolution lie at the heart of understanding the origins and diversification of life. By constructing phylogenetic trees, scientists map the evolutionary relationships ...

Plants are fast-tracking their own evolution by "plugging in" genetic code stolen from their neighbors, according to new research that reveals the secret to their own successful genetic engineering.

A Rowan University team led by Chun Wu, Ph.D., received the Zuckerkandl Prize for the year’s best paper published in the ...

ANN ARBOR—For a long time, evolutionary biologists have thought that the genetic mutations that drive the evolution of genes and proteins are largely neutral: they're neither good nor bad, but just ...

A major evolutionary theory says most genetic changes don’t really matter, but new evidence suggests that’s not true. Researchers found that helpful mutations happen surprisingly often. The twist is ...

The molecular clock theory posits that genetic changes happen steadily and gradually, offering a reliable means for peering into the past and theorizing when complex life first emerged. However, there ...