Adaptive molecular convergence more common than previously thought, distant jellyfish relatives reveal - Phys.org

NASA released photos of a glowing, jellyfish-shaped formation created when exhaust plumes from the SpaceX CRS-35 cargo mission caught the sun's rays.

image: On the left, GACNEs are unevenly distributed across the genome, forming distinct hotspots. On the right, the Manhattan plots highlight these clustered regions and their associations with genes involved in the Wnt signaling pathway. At the bottom, functional enrichment analysis shows the biological functions associated with genes near GACNE hotspots. Gliding has evolved independently six times in living mammals, making it a classic example of convergent evolution. Why does nature repeatedly produce similar complex adaptive traits? When distantly related species evolve similar features, do they rely on the same genetic changes, or can different genetic changes lead to similar outcomes?

Valuable new insights into how plants perceive their environment and protect themselves from biological threats in soil.

In the Clarion-Clipperton Zone in the Pacific Ocean, scientists have discovered 11,742 viruses, about 99% of which had not been previously described. The researchers believe these viruses may play an important role in the functioning of the deep-sea ecosystem. Scientists collected samples of seafloor sediments in 2023 and 2024, after which they analyzed the viruses’ genetic material. The results of the study were published in the journal *Nature Communications*. The Clarion-Clipperton Zone is known for its large deposits of polymetallic nodules containing manganese, cobalt, nickel, lithium, and zinc. These resources have industrial value, which is why the region is being considered for future deep-sea mining. At the same time, the nodules are an important part of the local ecosystem. Various organisms live on them, and many of the viruses identified likely infect bacteria and archaea involved in the cycles of carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur, and metals. Scientists suggest that the viruses found may influence chemical processes in seafloor sediments. However, their exact role in the ecosystem remains poorly understood.