Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

The Evidence for Evolution

The Evidence for Evolution

Genetic variations accumulating within populations over generations give rise to biological evolution. Evolutionary changes can result in the formation of novel varieties and entire new species. These changes are responsible for the diverse forms of life inhabiting the planet. The evidence for evolution suggests that all living organisms descended from common ancestors.The collection of fossils within sedimentary rocks give a record of common ancestry and often depicts the history of evolution.

Biodiversity and Human Values

Biodiversity and Human Values

Human civilization relies on biodiversity in many ways. Sudden changes in species biodiversity result in environmental changes that can modify weather patterns and therefore human civilizations.

Synteny and Evolution

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...

Limits to Natural Selection

Limits to Natural Selection

Organisms that are well-adapted to their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce. However, natural selection does not lead to perfectly adapted organisms. Several factors constrain natural selection.For one, natural selection can only act upon existing genetic variation. Hypothetically, redtusks may enhance elephant survival by deterring ivory-seeking poachers. However, if there are no gene variants—or alleles—for redtusks, natural selection cannot increase the prevalence of...

What is Evolutionary History?

What is Evolutionary History?

Scientists record evolutionary history by analyzing fossil, morphological, and genetic data. The fossil record documents the history of life on Earth and provides evidence for evolution. However, both fossil and living organisms offer evidence that outlines Earth’s evolutionary history.Phylogenetic trees illustrate the evolutionary relationships among these organisms. Scientists infer organisms’ common ancestry by evaluating shared morphological and genetic characteristics. Together, the fossil...

Evolutionary Psychology

Evolutionary Psychology

Evolutionary psychology explores the origins of human behavior and mental processes by framing them within the context of natural selection, a theory famously propounded by Charles Darwin. This field asserts that many behaviors common across human societies — ranging from instinctive fear reactions to complex social interactions — arose as evolutionary adaptations. These adaptations enhanced the survival and reproductive success of our ancestors, thereby becoming embedded in the human psyche...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Segmentally Duplicated Regulatory Elements Undergo Human-Specific Rewiring.

Molecular biology and evolution·2026

Same author

Servo-Actuated 3D-Printed Disposable Microvalves for Automated, Scalable Organoid Culture in Standard Incubators.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026

Same author

Cloud-connected pluripotent stem cell platform enhances scientific identity in underrepresented students.

Stem cell reports·2026

Same author

SpikeLab: Agentic tools for spike data analysis.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026

Same author

Microfluidic Control of Dorsal-Ventral Patterning Within a Single Forebrain Organoid.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026

Same author

The diploid reference genome of a human embryonic stem cell line.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 14, 2026

A Noninvasive Hair Sampling Technique to Obtain High Quality DNA from Elusive Small Mammals

A Noninvasive Hair Sampling Technique to Obtain High Quality DNA from Elusive Small Mammals

Published on: March 13, 2011

Endangered species hold clues to human evolution.

Craig B Lowe¹, Gill Bejerano, Sofie R Salama

¹Center for Biomolecular Science and Engineering, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA.

The Journal of Heredity

|March 25, 2010

Summary

Ancient retroposons, remnants of mobile genetic elements, have shaped the human genome. A tuatara

Area of Science:

Genomics
Evolutionary Biology
Molecular Biology

Background:

Many functional elements in the human genome originate from ancient retroposon insertions.
These elements are often subject to purifying selection, indicating functional importance.
The evolutionary history of these elements is frequently obscured by neutral decay in mammalian genomes.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the evolutionary origins of 18 conserved functional elements in the human genome.
To understand the role of a specific retroposon-derived element in regulating ASXL3 gene expression.
To explore how species with low population sizes can preserve ancient mobile elements for evolutionary studies.

Main Methods:

Comparative genomics analysis of human and tuatara genomes.

More Related Videos

Reverse Dissection and DiceCT Reveal Otherwise Hidden Data in the Evolution of the Primate Face

Reverse Dissection and DiceCT Reveal Otherwise Hidden Data in the Evolution of the Primate Face

Published on: January 7, 2019

Primer Extension Capture: Targeted Sequence Retrieval from Heavily Degraded DNA Sources

Primer Extension Capture: Targeted Sequence Retrieval from Heavily Degraded DNA Sources

Published on: September 3, 2009

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 14, 2026

A Noninvasive Hair Sampling Technique to Obtain High Quality DNA from Elusive Small Mammals

A Noninvasive Hair Sampling Technique to Obtain High Quality DNA from Elusive Small Mammals

Published on: March 13, 2011

Reverse Dissection and DiceCT Reveal Otherwise Hidden Data in the Evolution of the Primate Face

Reverse Dissection and DiceCT Reveal Otherwise Hidden Data in the Evolution of the Primate Face

Published on: January 7, 2019

Primer Extension Capture: Targeted Sequence Retrieval from Heavily Degraded DNA Sources

Primer Extension Capture: Targeted Sequence Retrieval from Heavily Degraded DNA Sources

Published on: September 3, 2009

Investigation of retroposon-derived element function in regulating ASXL3 expression.

Computational simulations to model the long-term persistence of mobile elements in species with low population sizes.

Main Results:

Identified 18 conserved functional elements in the human genome derived from retroposon insertions under purifying selection.
Demonstrated that one element encodes an alternatively spliced exon regulating ASXL3 expression and causing nonsense-mediated decay.
The tuatara genome retains a near-ancestral version of the retroposon, linking human elements to their evolutionary origin.

Conclusions:

Retroposon insertions have contributed significantly to the evolution of functional genomic elements in mammals.
The tuatara serves as a crucial model for understanding the ancient origins of human functional elements.
Species with historically low population sizes are invaluable for uncovering the evolutionary history of mobile genetic elements.