Aug 1, 2025 02:14 AM
(This post was last modified: Aug 1, 2025 11:38 AM by C C.)
What were the chances of abiogenesis?
https://www.universetoday.com/articles/w...biogenesis
EXCERPTS: A new study published in July 2025 tackles one of science's most profound mysteries - how did life first emerge from non-living matter on early Earth? Using cutting edge mathematical approaches, researcher Robert G. Endres from Imperial College London has developed a framework that suggests the spontaneous origin of life faces far greater challenges than previously understood.
[...] The research suggests that relying purely on chance and natural chemical processes may not adequately explain life's emergence within the timeframe available on early Earth. The tendency for systems to become more disordered rather than more organized, present significant obstacles to the formation of the highly organized structures necessary for life.
This doesn't mean life's origin is impossible, but rather that our current understanding may be incomplete. The study emphasizes that uncovering physical principles for life's emergence from non-living matter remains a grand challenge for biological physics... (MORE - details)
Potato evolved from tomato 9 million years ago
http://www.cell.com/cell
PRESS RELEASE: An international research team has uncovered that natural interbreeding in the wild between tomato plants and potato-like species from South America about 9 million years ago gave rise to the modern-day potato.
In a study publishing in the Cell Press journal Cell, researchers suggest this ancient evolutionary event triggered the formation of the tuber, the enlarged underground structure that stores nutrients found in plants like potatoes, yams, and taros.
“Our findings show how a hybridization event between species can spark the evolution of new traits, allowing even more species to emerge,” says corresponding author Sanwen Huang of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, China. “We’ve finally solved the mystery of where potatoes came from.”
As one of the world’s most important crops, the potato’s origin had long puzzled scientists. In appearance, modern potato plants are almost identical to three potato-like species from Chile called Etuberosum. But these plants do not carry tubers. Based on phylogenetic analysis, potato plants are more closely related to tomatoes.
To solve this contradiction, the research team analyzed 450 genomes from cultivated potatoes and 56 of the wild potato species.
“Wild potatoes are very difficult to sample, so this dataset represents the most comprehensive collection of wild potato genomic data ever analyzed,” says the paper’s first author Zhiyang Zhang of the Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences.
They found that every potato species contained a stable, balanced mix of genetic material from both Etuberosum and tomato plants, suggesting that potatoes originated from an ancient hybridization between the two.
While Etuberosum and tomatoes are distinct species, they shared a common ancestor about 14 million years ago. Even after diverging for about 5 million years, they were able to interbreed and gave rise to the earliest potato plants with tubers around 9 million years ago.
The team also traced the origins of the potato’s key tuber-forming genes, which are a combination of genetic material from each parent. They found the SP6A gene, which acts like a master switch that tells the plant when to start making tubers, came from the tomato side of the family. Another important gene called IT1, which helps control growth of the underground stems that form tubers, came from the Etuberosum side. Without either piece, the hybrid offspring would be incapable of producing tubers.
This evolutionary innovation coincided with the rapid uplift of the Andes mountains, a period when new ecological environments were emerging. With a tuber to store nutrients underground, early potatoes were able to quickly adapt to the changing environment, surviving harsh weather in the mountains.
Tubers also allow potato plants to reproduce without seeds or pollination. They grow new plants by simply sprouting from buds on the tuber. This trait allowed them to rapidly expand and fill diverse ecological niches from mild grasslands to high and cold alpine meadows in Central and South America.
“Evolving a tuber gave potatoes a huge advantage in harsh environments, fueling an explosion of new species and contributing to the rich diversity of potatoes we see and rely on today,” Huang said.
https://www.universetoday.com/articles/w...biogenesis
EXCERPTS: A new study published in July 2025 tackles one of science's most profound mysteries - how did life first emerge from non-living matter on early Earth? Using cutting edge mathematical approaches, researcher Robert G. Endres from Imperial College London has developed a framework that suggests the spontaneous origin of life faces far greater challenges than previously understood.
[...] The research suggests that relying purely on chance and natural chemical processes may not adequately explain life's emergence within the timeframe available on early Earth. The tendency for systems to become more disordered rather than more organized, present significant obstacles to the formation of the highly organized structures necessary for life.
This doesn't mean life's origin is impossible, but rather that our current understanding may be incomplete. The study emphasizes that uncovering physical principles for life's emergence from non-living matter remains a grand challenge for biological physics... (MORE - details)
Potato evolved from tomato 9 million years ago
http://www.cell.com/cell
PRESS RELEASE: An international research team has uncovered that natural interbreeding in the wild between tomato plants and potato-like species from South America about 9 million years ago gave rise to the modern-day potato.
In a study publishing in the Cell Press journal Cell, researchers suggest this ancient evolutionary event triggered the formation of the tuber, the enlarged underground structure that stores nutrients found in plants like potatoes, yams, and taros.
“Our findings show how a hybridization event between species can spark the evolution of new traits, allowing even more species to emerge,” says corresponding author Sanwen Huang of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, China. “We’ve finally solved the mystery of where potatoes came from.”
As one of the world’s most important crops, the potato’s origin had long puzzled scientists. In appearance, modern potato plants are almost identical to three potato-like species from Chile called Etuberosum. But these plants do not carry tubers. Based on phylogenetic analysis, potato plants are more closely related to tomatoes.
To solve this contradiction, the research team analyzed 450 genomes from cultivated potatoes and 56 of the wild potato species.
“Wild potatoes are very difficult to sample, so this dataset represents the most comprehensive collection of wild potato genomic data ever analyzed,” says the paper’s first author Zhiyang Zhang of the Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences.
They found that every potato species contained a stable, balanced mix of genetic material from both Etuberosum and tomato plants, suggesting that potatoes originated from an ancient hybridization between the two.
While Etuberosum and tomatoes are distinct species, they shared a common ancestor about 14 million years ago. Even after diverging for about 5 million years, they were able to interbreed and gave rise to the earliest potato plants with tubers around 9 million years ago.
The team also traced the origins of the potato’s key tuber-forming genes, which are a combination of genetic material from each parent. They found the SP6A gene, which acts like a master switch that tells the plant when to start making tubers, came from the tomato side of the family. Another important gene called IT1, which helps control growth of the underground stems that form tubers, came from the Etuberosum side. Without either piece, the hybrid offspring would be incapable of producing tubers.
This evolutionary innovation coincided with the rapid uplift of the Andes mountains, a period when new ecological environments were emerging. With a tuber to store nutrients underground, early potatoes were able to quickly adapt to the changing environment, surviving harsh weather in the mountains.
Tubers also allow potato plants to reproduce without seeds or pollination. They grow new plants by simply sprouting from buds on the tuber. This trait allowed them to rapidly expand and fill diverse ecological niches from mild grasslands to high and cold alpine meadows in Central and South America.
“Evolving a tuber gave potatoes a huge advantage in harsh environments, fueling an explosion of new species and contributing to the rich diversity of potatoes we see and rely on today,” Huang said.