Genome duplications helped flowering plants survive mass extinctions

Extra copies of genetic material appear to have boosted the survival of flowering plants during Earth's major environmental crises, including the event that wiped out the dinosaurs.

A study of 470 angiosperm species found 132 ancient genome duplications that clustered around nine periods of upheaval between 108 million and 14 million years ago. These included climate shifts, changes in oxygen levels and mass extinctions, such as the asteroid impact 66 million years ago at the end of the Cretaceous period.

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Microscopic view contrasting cell division errors: one surviving DNA-doubled cell and one dying cell, for cancer research news illustration.
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Study suggests the route to whole-genome doubling influences whether DNA-doubled cells survive

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Researchers at Hokkaido University report that cells left with an extra set of DNA after a division error can have markedly different outcomes depending on how the division fails—findings that could help explain why some abnormal cells persist in diseases where whole-genome duplication is common, including cancer.

Scientists have developed a new method using transposable elements to trace the evolutionary history of complex plant genomes. The approach was tested on the cultivated strawberry and identified multiple ancient hybridization events that shaped its octoploid genome.

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A new study suggests Earth's first animals evolved slowly because they reproduced asexually, limiting competition in ancient oceans. Researchers from the University of Cambridge say a later shift to sexual reproduction helped drive a surge in biodiversity during the Ediacaran period.

A new study from Yale University shows that DNA inherited from extinct Denisovans continues to affect immune function and skeletal development in people from Near Oceania. Researchers sequenced genomes from 177 individuals across 12 populations and identified over 3,100 active genetic variants. The findings were published June 11 in the journal Science.

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Scientists suggest that asteroid impacts created hot, chemical-rich environments that could have kick-started life on Earth. A new review led by recent Rutgers graduate Shea Cinquemani highlights impact-generated hydrothermal systems as potential cradles for life's building blocks. These systems may have persisted for thousands of years, providing ideal conditions for early biology.

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