Current research in evolutionary biology
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[edit] Current Research
- See also: Ancestral Reconstruction, Human Genome Project, Bioinformatics, and Evo-devo
Evolution is still an active field of research in the scientific community. Improvements in sequencing methods have resulted in a large increase of sequenced genomes, allowing for the testing and refining of the theory of evolution with respect to whole genome data. Advances in computational hardware and software have allowed for the testing and extrapolation of increasingly advanced evolutionary models. Discoveries in biotechnology have produced methods for the de novo synthesis of proteins and, potentially, entire genomes, driving evolutionary studies at the molecular level.
[edit] Micro RNA
Small RNA or micro RNA (miRNA) appears highly significant in regulation of gene expression during development. <ref>Sempere LF, Cole CN, McPeek MA, Peterson KJ. (2006). "The phylogenetic distribution of metazoan microRNA: insights into evolutionary complexity and constraint..". J Exp Zoolog B Mol Dev Evol (Jul 12). PMID 16838302.</ref><ref>Massirer KB, Pasquinelli AE. (2006). "The evolving role of microRNAs in animal gene expression.journal = Bioessays." 28 (5): 449-52. PMID 16615087.</ref><ref>Zhang B, Pan X, Cannon CH, Cobb GP, Anderson TA. (2006). "Conservation and divergence of plant microRNA genes.". Plant J. 46 (2): 243-59. PMID 16623887.</ref> Micro RNA's contribution to evolution is considered an epigenetic mechanism in evolutionary developmental biology. Micro RNA appears to constitute 1% of the human genome. Scientists are designing silencing interference micro RNA in the hopes of shutting down genes involved in cancer, diseases, and the contribution of genes in developmental biology.
