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Gene Evolution - Fast or Slow?02:05

Gene Evolution - Fast or Slow?

The genomes of eukaryotes are punctuated by long stretches of sequence which do not code for proteins or RNAs. Although some of these regions do contain crucial regulatory sequences, the vast majority of this DNA serves no known function. Typically, these regions of the genome are the ones in which the fastest change, in evolutionary terms, is observed, because there is typically little to no selection pressure acting on these regions to preserve their sequences.
In contrast, regions which code...
Gene Evolution - Fast or Slow?02:05

Gene Evolution - Fast or Slow?

The genomes of eukaryotes are punctuated by long stretches of sequence which do not code for proteins or RNAs. Although some of these regions do contain crucial regulatory sequences, the vast majority of this DNA serves no known function. Typically, these regions of the genome are the ones in which the fastest change, in evolutionary terms, is observed, because there is typically little to no selection pressure acting on these regions to preserve their sequences.
In contrast, regions which code...
Evolutionary Relationships through Genome Comparisons02:54

Evolutionary Relationships through Genome Comparisons

Genome comparison is one of the excellent ways to interpret the evolutionary relationships between organisms. The basic principle of genome comparison is that if two species share a common feature, it is likely encoded by the DNA sequence conserved between both species. The advent of genome sequencing technologies in the late 20th century enabled scientists to understand the concept of conservation of domains between species and helped them to deduce evolutionary relationships across diverse...
Synteny and Evolution02:31

Synteny and Evolution

John H. Renwick first coined the term “synteny” in 1971, which refers to the genes present on the same chromosomes, even if they are not genetically linked. The species with common ancestry tend to show conserved syntenic regions. Therefore, the concept of synteny is nowadays used to describe the evolutionary relationship between species.
Around 80 million years ago, the human and mice lineages diverged from the common ancestor. During the course of evolution, the ancestral chromosome underwent...
Multi-species Conserved Sequences02:51

Multi-species Conserved Sequences

Next-generation sequencing technologies have created large genomic databases of a variety of animals and plants. Ever since the human genome project was completed, scientists studied the genome of primates, mammals, and other phylogenetically distant living beings. Such large-scale  studies have provided new insights into the evolutionary relationship between organisms.
Although the genome of each species varies greatly from each other, a few sequences are highly conserved. Such conserved DNA...
Evolution of New Traits in Microbes01:24

Evolution of New Traits in Microbes

Microorganisms evolve rapidly due to their large population sizes and short generation times, often exhibiting measurable changes within days under laboratory conditions. Natural selection acts on standing genetic variation, enabling the retention and amplification of beneficial traits that confer fitness advantages in changing environments.Adaptive Pigment Regulation in RhodobacterIn Rhodobacter, a genus of purple non-sulfur bacteria, light-harvesting pigments such as bacteriochlorophyll and...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 14, 2026

Following the Dynamics of Structural Variants in Experimentally Evolved Populations
04:52

Following the Dynamics of Structural Variants in Experimentally Evolved Populations

Published on: February 3, 2023

Localizing recent adaptive evolution in the human genome.

Scott H Williamson1, Melissa J Hubisz, Andrew G Clark

  • 1Department of Biological Statistics and Computational Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America. sw292@cornell.edu

Plos Genetics
|June 5, 2007
PubMed
Summary

Researchers identified 101 human genomic regions showing recent selective sweeps, indicating pervasive adaptation. These sweeps, linked to genes in pigmentation, immunity, and nervous system function, affect up to 10% of the genome.

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Area of Science:

  • Human evolutionary genetics
  • Population genetics
  • Genomics

Background:

  • Identifying genomic regions affected by selective sweeps is crucial for understanding adaptive evolution.
  • Previous methods often struggled to account for population demography and recombination rates, limiting fine-scale analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify recent selective sweeps in the human genome using advanced statistical methods.
  • To pinpoint the location of selected sites with high resolution and associate them with specific genes.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of 1.2 million human single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) across African-American, European-American, and Chinese populations.
  • Application of statistical models accounting for population demography, recombination rate variation, and SNP ascertainment.
  • Fine-scale estimation of selective sweep locations.

Main Results:

  • 101 genomic regions showed strong evidence (p < 10^-5) of recent selective sweeps.
  • Estimated sweep locations were within 100 kb of known genes involved in pigmentation, dystrophin complex, olfactory receptors, nervous system, immunity, and heat shock.
  • Selective sweeps were also observed in centromeric regions.
  • Up to 10% of the human genome shows evidence of linkage to recent selective sweeps.

Conclusions:

  • Recent adaptation is widespread across the human genome.
  • The identified genes highlight key biological pathways influenced by recent human evolution.
  • The findings provide a foundation for further research into the genetic basis of human adaptation.