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Gene Evolution - Fast or Slow?

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?

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...

Phylogeny

Phylogeny

Phylogeny is concerned with the evolutionary diversification of organisms or groups of organisms. A group of organisms with a name is called a taxon (singular). Taxa (plural) can span different levels of the evolutionary hierarchy. For instance, the group containing all birds is a taxon (comprising the class Aves), and the group of all species of daisies (the genus Bellis) is a taxon. Phylogenies can likewise include just one genus (i.e., depict species relationships) or span an entire kingdom.

Evolutionary Relationships through Genome Comparisons

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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...

Microbial Phylogeny

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Understanding the evolutionary relationships among microorganisms is fundamental to microbial ecology and taxonomy. Phylogenetic trees are essential tools for inferring these relationships, relying primarily on comparative analyses of molecular sequences such as DNA, RNA, or proteins. In microbial studies, these trees typically depict the evolutionary paths of diverse bacterial and archaeal species by mapping genetic differences accumulated over time.Phylogenetic trees are composed of tips,...

Evolution of New Traits in Microbes

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Updated: Jun 1, 2026

Using Phylogenetic Analysis to Investigate Eukaryotic Gene Origin

Using Phylogenetic Analysis to Investigate Eukaryotic Gene Origin

Published on: August 14, 2018

Phylomemetics--evolutionary analysis beyond the gene.

Christopher J Howe¹, Heather F Windram

¹Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom. ch26@mole.bio.cam.ac.uk

|June 10, 2011

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Phylogenetic methods, used for gene evolution, can reconstruct the copying history of manuscripts and analyze cultural evolution. This approach, termed phylomemetics, studies non-genetic replicating elements.

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Last Updated: Jun 1, 2026

Using Phylogenetic Analysis to Investigate Eukaryotic Gene Origin

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Area of Science:

Evolutionary Biology
Computational Biology
Anthropology

Background:

Genes replicate with errors, enabling phylogenetic reconstruction of evolutionary relationships.
Horizontal gene transfer can create network-like evolutionary patterns.
Manuscript copying by scribes mirrors gene replication, allowing phylogenetic analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

To explore the application of phylogenetic inference methods beyond genetic elements.
To propose a new term for the phylogenetic analysis of non-genetic replicating entities.
To highlight the utility of these methods in understanding cultural and linguistic evolution.

Main Methods:

Utilizing phylogenetic inference programs designed for genetic data.
Applying these programs to analyze manuscript copying histories.
Extending phylogenetic methods to study language and cultural artifact evolution.

Main Results:

Demonstrated that phylogenetic methods can accurately reconstruct manuscript copying histories.
Showcased the applicability of these methods to linguistic and cultural evolution.
Established the conceptual framework for analyzing non-genetic inheritance patterns.

Conclusions:

Phylogenetic methods offer a powerful framework for studying the evolution of non-genetic elements.
The proposed term 'phylomemetics' unifies the study of diverse replicating systems.
This approach provides novel insights into anthropological questions related to cultural transmission.