Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Eukaryotic Evolution01:24

Eukaryotic Evolution

43.9K
The endosymbiont theory is the most widely accepted theory of eukaryotic evolution; however, its progression is still somewhat debated. According to the nucleus-first hypothesis, the ancestral prokaryote first evolved a membrane to enclose DNA and form the nucleus. Conversely, the mitochondria-first hypothesis suggests that the nucleus was formed after endosymbiosis of mitochondria.
Contrary to the endosymbiont theory, the eukaryote-first hypothesis proposes that the simpler prokaryotic and...
43.9K
Evolution of New Traits in Microbes01:24

Evolution of New Traits in Microbes

184
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...
184
Gene Evolution - Fast or Slow?02:05

Gene Evolution - Fast or Slow?

8.4K
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...
8.4K
Gene Evolution - Fast or Slow?02:05

Gene Evolution - Fast or Slow?

3.8K
3.8K
Synteny and Evolution02:31

Synteny and Evolution

4.1K
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...
4.1K
Evolutionary Processes in Microbes01:26

Evolutionary Processes in Microbes

187
Microbial evolution occurs rapidly due to short generation times and a variety of genetic processes, including horizontal gene transfer, mutation, recombination, and genetic drift. These mechanisms collectively enable microbes to adapt swiftly to changing environments.Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) allows genes to move between different species and occurs through three main mechanisms: conjugation, transformation, and transduction. Conjugation involves direct cell-to-cell contact for DNA...
187

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Messy Chemistry and the Emergence of Life.

Life (Basel, Switzerland)·2026
Same author

Silver Nanoparticles Templated by the M13 Phage Exhibit High Antibacterial Activity against Gram-Negative Pathogens and a Reduced Rate of Bacterial Resistance In Vitro.

Langmuir : the ACS journal of surfaces and colloids·2025
Same author

A Synthetic Phage-Peptide Conjugate as a Potent Antibacterial Agent for <i>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</i> Infections.

ACS central science·2025
Same author

Metagenome-inspired libraries to engineer phage M13 for targeted killing of Gram-negative bacterial species.

Nucleic acids research·2025
Same author

Gas and Aqueous Phase Computations on the Keto-Enol Tautomerization of Pyruvic and Zymonic Acids: Implications for Prebiotic Enol Phosphates.

The journal of physical chemistry. A·2025
Same author

Sparse Bayesian Group Factor Model for Feature Interactions in Multiple Count Tables Data.

Journal of the American Statistical Association·2025
Same journal

Decorated Vesicles as Prebiont Systems (a Hypothesis).

Origins of life and evolution of the biosphere : the journal of the International Society for the Study of the Origin of Life·2023
Same journal

Enhancement of Prebiotic Peptide Formation in Cyclic Environments.

Origins of life and evolution of the biosphere : the journal of the International Society for the Study of the Origin of Life·2023
Same journal

Sequential Amplification of Amino Acid Enantiomeric Excess by Conglomerate and Racemic Compound: Plausible Prebiotic Route Towards Homochirality.

Origins of life and evolution of the biosphere : the journal of the International Society for the Study of the Origin of Life·2023
Same journal

Did Salts in Seawater Play an Important Role in the Adsorption of Molecules on Minerals in the Prebiotic Earth? The Case of the Adsorption of Thiocyanate onto Forsterite-91.

Origins of life and evolution of the biosphere : the journal of the International Society for the Study of the Origin of Life·2023
Same journal

The Possible Role of Anoxic Alkaline High Subcritical Water in the Formation of Ferric Minerals, Methane and Disordered Graphitic Carbon in a BARB3 Drilled Sample of the 3.4 Ga Buck Reef Chert.

Origins of life and evolution of the biosphere : the journal of the International Society for the Study of the Origin of Life·2023
Same journal

Parity Violation Energy Difference Calculation of Atropisomers.

Origins of life and evolution of the biosphere : the journal of the International Society for the Study of the Origin of Life·2023
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 18, 2026

Improving 2D and 3D Skin In Vitro Models Using Macromolecular Crowding
09:14

Improving 2D and 3D Skin In Vitro Models Using Macromolecular Crowding

Published on: August 22, 2016

13.1K

Molecular crowding and early evolution.

Ranajay Saha1, Andrew Pohorille, Irene A Chen

  • 1Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA.

Origins of Life and Evolution of the Biosphere : the Journal of the International Society for the Study of the Origin of Life
|January 15, 2015
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Molecular crowding in protocells may have boosted evolutionary innovation. This environment created extended neutral networks, enhancing protocell capabilities for adaptation and development.

More Related Videos

Daily Transfers, Archiving Populations, and Measuring Fitness in the Long-Term Evolution Experiment with Escherichia coli
15:00

Daily Transfers, Archiving Populations, and Measuring Fitness in the Long-Term Evolution Experiment with Escherichia coli

Published on: August 18, 2023

4.7K
Using Phylogenetic Analysis to Investigate Eukaryotic Gene Origin
08:57

Using Phylogenetic Analysis to Investigate Eukaryotic Gene Origin

Published on: August 14, 2018

16.7K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Apr 18, 2026

Improving 2D and 3D Skin In Vitro Models Using Macromolecular Crowding
09:14

Improving 2D and 3D Skin In Vitro Models Using Macromolecular Crowding

Published on: August 22, 2016

13.1K
Daily Transfers, Archiving Populations, and Measuring Fitness in the Long-Term Evolution Experiment with Escherichia coli
15:00

Daily Transfers, Archiving Populations, and Measuring Fitness in the Long-Term Evolution Experiment with Escherichia coli

Published on: August 18, 2023

4.7K
Using Phylogenetic Analysis to Investigate Eukaryotic Gene Origin
08:57

Using Phylogenetic Analysis to Investigate Eukaryotic Gene Origin

Published on: August 14, 2018

16.7K

Area of Science:

  • Origin of life studies
  • Prebiotic chemistry
  • Evolutionary biology

Background:

  • Protocells are considered early precursors to cellular life.
  • The prebiotic environment likely contained various molecules, including polymers.
  • Molecular crowding is a phenomenon where cellular environments are densely packed with molecules.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the potential impact of molecular crowding on protocell capabilities.
  • To investigate how crowding might influence evolutionary innovation in early life forms.

Main Methods:

  • Theoretical analysis of molecular crowding effects.
  • Modeling of fitness landscapes and neutral networks.

Main Results:

  • Molecular crowding can alter molecular conformations, reaction rates, and water properties.
  • Crowding may lead to the formation of extended neutral networks in the fitness landscape.
  • These networks can facilitate evolutionary innovation by allowing for genetic drift without immediate loss of function.

Conclusions:

  • The crowded environment of protocells could have been a key factor in their evolutionary potential.
  • Molecular crowding might have provided a mechanism for enhanced adaptability and innovation in early life.