Molecular Evolution: Genes And Proteins

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EVOLUTION IS REAL SCIENCE:

1. Does The Evidence Support Evolution?
2. Vitamin C And Common Ancestry
3. Are We Descended From Viruses?
4. Does The Fossil Record Support Evolution?
5. Where Are The Transitional Forms?

FACTS OF EVOLUTION:

1. Introduction
2. Universal Common Descent
3. Good Design, Bad Design
4. Speciation And Extinction
5. How Fast Is Evolution?
6. What Can Embryos Tell Us About Evolution?
7. The Molecules Of Life
8. Molecular Evolution: Genes And Proteins
9. Retroviruses And Pseudogenes

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Molecular evolution is the process of evolution at the scale of DNA, RNA, and proteins. Molecular evolution emerged as a scientific field in the 1960s as researchers from molecular biology, evolutionary biology and population genetics sought to understand recent discoveries on the structure and function of nucleic acids and protein. Some of the key topics that spurred development of the field have been the evolution of enzyme function, the use of nucleic acid divergence as a "molecular clock" to study species divergence, and the origin of non-functional or junk DNA. Recent advances in genomics, including whole-genome sequencing, high-throughput protein characterization, and bioinformatics have led to a dramatic increase in studies on the topic. In the 2000s, some of the active topics have been the role of gene duplication in the emergence of novel gene function, the extent of adaptive molecular evolution versus neutral drift, and the identification of molecular changes responsible for various human characteristics especially those pertaining to infection, disease, and cognition.

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Principles of molecular evolution

Mutations are permanent, transmissible changes to the genetic material (usually DNA or RNA) of a cell. Mutations can be caused by copying errors in the genetic material during cell division and by exposure to radiation, chemicals, or viruses, or can occur deliberately under cellular control during the processes such as meiosis or hypermutation. Mutations are considered the driving force of evolution, where less favorable (or deleterious) mutations are removed from the gene pool by natural selection, while more favorable (or beneficial) ones tend to accumulate. Neutral mutations do not affect the organism's chances of survival in its natural environment and can accumulate over time, which might result in what is known as punctuated equilibrium; the modern interpretation of classic evolutionary theory.

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[RaminHonary]

The video said they were useless, but I would think LINEs and SINEs serve as some form of error correction code, right?
If 30% of our DNA is LINEs and SINEs which nither inhibit nor cause protein formation, then these segments of the genome can be mutated without causing any major change to the function of the genome (unless if the mutation makes the LINEs and SINEs mutate into a protein-forming sequence) which makes the genome resistant to "errors".
Or am I completely getting his wrong?

[greeneto]

@forest51690, he says quite clearly "amino acid sequences". The letters refer to amino acids, not genes.

[Raptor]

@RazielKain Interesting point. It will also be difficult for additional human speciation to occur since globalization has begun to remove the barriers of isolated gene pools. In human evolution we may see a convergence rather than a traditional divergence.

[prathapsv]

Amazing stuff, thanks ! My faith in your subscription is vindicated by such documentaries. I am more knowledgeable than 15 mins ago :)

[IFEM]

@graphicism

What do you mean by darwinian evolution....?

And do you have a link to a reputable source for those assertions?

[hilbert]

@graphicism

That's interesting. I didn't know any comparative genetic studies had been done between neanderthals and 5000 year humans. They have only recently been done between neanderthals and living humans

[memonk]

@saxmanchiro "Elegant yet simple yet mind boggling" You said it all!

[ProfessorPEARL]

This channel is taking over my "Favorites"...

[foxlake]

@RazielKain "Germs are mostly killed by medicine"
Germs are evolving too. It is a constant battle and we may still lose it. Some positive adaptations are also happening like people who can see more in the ultraviolet range but we are still homo sapiens.

[saxmanchiro]

@ganggreensoldier Answer: Public high school, Biology is required to graduate in the USA, and they must be proficient on their final exam to get their diploma. Same with Math, History and English. Good thing too. I think(and so do State/Federal officials) it's important for people to understand the processes of life. Healthier public plus we could not compete with other countries in science and prerequisite for University Science programs.

[munky]

Great video. Anyone know what the name of the first song is?

[foxlake]

@joonzville "We DO have natural selection"
No argument there but don't count on a new speciation event any time soon without some catastrophic change in our environment. Even isolation of populations necessary for such a "macro" event are increasingly rare.

[omnimon]

@RazielKain Actually we are kind of in a stand still BUT notice that people like to marry persons that are similar to them. Ergo, Smart people marry smart people, athletic people marry athletic people, this actually broadens the variety of type of humans on the earth ^_^

P.S.
I know there are exceptions but it is very common to marry a person similar to you.

[snakeguy]

@forest51690 Your comments are old but I'd thought I'd reply anyway. the letters you see are the letters for the 20 amino acids in the protein Cytochrome C. to follow up on the second comment, the similarities in genes would make sense because of the phenotype is the same but they are comaring a protein found in all eukaryotes and therefore the sequence should be the same or similar. However it is the differences that are important here.

[tranquilityall]

This is an open forum where anyone can express their opinions.
It doesn't matter what motivates a person.
Unfortunately the free flow of ideas sometimes turns confrontational. Are You suggesting I should only express myself when I'm in total agreement with someone ?

[Matthias]

This video is an overview. It doesn't go into the details. We are supposed to take his word on things. Also, he doesn't take into account the idea that the gene sequences are similar because the phenotype is similar. After all, the genome is the coding for the species, and if two species are similar, then the coding should be similar. Common sense.

[mphmm]

@VirgilFoxMusic i think he means something like a geographical distancing or some catastrophe that separates large populations.

[acesin-etpp]

the answer is simple and difficult for them to take it. A designer did it!

[sabrinarun]

Thanks for sharing this, as for protein structure, to be able to perform their biological function, proteins fold into one or more specific spatial conformations driven by a number of non-covalent interactions such as hydrogen bonding, ionic interactions, Van der Waals forces, and hydrophobic packing.

[plevyman]

@RobeonMew It's entirely relevant. It's not my problem if you can't see that.

In any case, the computers you mention all have similar designs, which have all "descended" from earlier, more basic designs. Any computer that uses windows is going to have to have hardware that is compatible with it. So your analogy doesn't really prove anything.