Vertebrate morphology exhibits remarkable diversity, reflecting a complex interplay of developmental processes, genetic regulation and environmental pressures. This variation arises from a combination ...

The genes of an organism play an important role in the development of characteristic traits. However, even the traits of genetically identical clones that grow up under the same environmental ...

In the children’s game telephone, a whispered phrase like “I ate a pear” can quickly become “I hate bears” as it moves down a line of players. As genes are passed down from parents to offspring, they ...

THE VENN DIAGRAM ILLUSTRATES THE COMPONENTS OF VARIATION PARTITIONING WITHIN A PHYLOGENETIC GENERALIZED LINEAR MODEL (PGLM). THE LARGE OUTER CIRCLE REPRESENTS THE TOTAL VARIATION IN THE RESPONSE ...

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Evidence is mounting that epigenetic marks on DNA can influence future generations in a variety of ways. But how such phenomena might affect large-scale evolutionary processes is hotly debated. The ...

A random mutation in a gene can alter its function and bring about a new characteristic that can pass down for many generations, but this may not be the only way that organisms can inherit a trait.