Tag Archives: evolution

Study Offers Hope for Fungus-Infected Frogs

Photo courtesy Cori Richards-Zawacki.

Scientists from the U.S. and Panama have found that some frog species can recover from chytridiomycosis, an infectious disease partly responsible for amphibian die-offs around the world.

Read/listen to my full story at KJZZ’s Arizona Science Desk:
For Fungus-Infected Frogs, It’s Change or Die

Citrus Roots Reach Back to the Himalayas

Citrus originated at the foot of the Himalayas. Artist’s conception by Manuel Talon, Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Agrarias (IVIA), Spain.

They say when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. But what if life hands you sour oranges and citrons?

Simple: You make lemons.

So says a new genetic analysis by an international team of scientists that seeks to clear up citrus’ tangled backstory.

Read/listen to my full story at KJZZ’s Arizona Science Desk:
Study Traces Citrus Family Tree To Foot Of The Himalayas

The Prickly Business of Cactus Classification

Photo by J. Wallner, NPS.

Researchers have found a genetic pattern in the saguaro and its cousins that could explain why many cactus species resist simple classification.

Plants like the cactus are tricky. Distant relatives can look like twins or evolve similar traits, thanks to phenomena like parallel and convergent evolution, both of which entail species evolving the same traits independently of one another.

Read/listen to my full story at KJZZ’s Arizona Science Desk:
Saguaro Genome Shows Why Many Cactus Species Are Hard To Classify

Genome Map Hints at How Desert Tortoise Overcomes Natural, Human Dangers

Photo by Sandra Leander, Arizona State University.

Researchers have finished the first full genome map of the threatened Mojave desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii), also known as Agassiz’s desert tortoise.

They hope their findings will inform conservation efforts, improve understanding of its evolutionary past and potentially contribute  to  human medicine.

Read/listen to my full story at KJZZ’s Arizona Science Desk:
Desert Tortoise Genome Reveals Genetic Keys to Surviving Harsh Conditions, Threats