📄 Category

evolutionary biology

295 papers

Evolutionary biology explores the dynamic history of life on Earth, tracing how species change, adapt, and diversify over time. This field investigates the mechanisms driving everything from the development of antibiotic resistance in bacteria to the complex social behaviors of primates, revealing the deep connections that bind all living organisms together.

On Gist.Science, we ensure these groundbreaking discoveries remain accessible by processing every new preprint uploaded to bioRxiv in this category. Our team generates both plain-language overviews and detailed technical summaries for each paper, bridging the gap between raw research and public understanding without requiring a specialized background.

Below are the latest studies in evolutionary biology, offering fresh insights into the ongoing story of life.

📄 evolutionary biology

Making friends in an asymmetric game: the establishment of male-female grooming exchanges in vervet monkeys

This study on wild vervet monkeys reveals that male-female grooming exchanges evolve toward reciprocity over six months through a dynamic where females employ an "all-in" strategy of high initial investment that gradually decreases, while males follow a "raise-the-stakes" approach, ultimately demonstrating that cooperative strategies are shaped by complex life history parameters rather than simple theoretical models.

Tankink, J. A., Granell Ruiz, M., van de Waal, E., van Schaik, C., Bshary, R.2026-02-16
📄 evolutionary biology

Conservation and divergence of sex-biased gene expression across 50 million years of Drosophila evolution

This study analyzes sex-biased gene expression across six *Drosophila* species over 50 million years, revealing that while body tissues show conserved sex bias, head tissues exhibit rapid turnover driven largely by concordant regulatory changes in both sexes rather than sexual antagonism, with evidence of positive selection acting on these expression differences.

Glaser-Schmitt, A., Parsch, J.2026-02-16
📄 evolutionary biology

Life-stage-specific specialities in the cell atlases of the Clytia hemisphaerica planula and medusa

This study utilizes single-cell transcriptomics to construct and compare cell atlases of the *Clytia hemisphaerica* planula and medusa, revealing that while both life stages share broad cell categories, the planula exhibits reduced diversity and possesses unique specialized cell types that reflect stage-specific functions and distinct developmental fates along the oral-aboral axis.

Ferraioli, A., Ramon-Mateu, J., Meynadier, M., Lamonerie, T., Pagnotta, S., Chevalier, S., Iglesias, M., Najle, S. R., S (…)2026-02-16
📄 evolutionary biology

Mutational divergence over years in local populations of the selfing nematode Caenorhabditis elegans

By analyzing whole-genome sequences of *Caenorhabditis elegans* collected over 13 years along a French stream bank, this study quantified spontaneous mutation rates and patterns in natural populations, revealing a substitution rate of 4–5×10⁻⁸ per base pair per year, a higher transition-to-transversion ratio than observed in laboratory lines, and evidence of limited dispersal within the local habitat.

Wei, X., Richaud, A., Tanny, R. E., Andersen, E. C., Felix, M.-A.2026-02-15
📄 evolutionary biology

Laboratory and wild Drosophila sechellia have conserved niche specialization phenotypes

This study demonstrates that laboratory-maintained strains of *Drosophila sechellia* retain a high degree of similarity to wild populations across various behavioral and anatomical phenotypes, suggesting that laboratory models remain valid for studying the molecular basis of the species' ecological specialization.

Shahandeh, M. P., Abuin, L., Jaiyesimi, O. A., Jose, P. A., Ghosh, S., Borbora, A. S., Kaur, J., Extavour, C. G., Benton (…)2026-02-12
📄 evolutionary biology

The effect of temperature and ash species on Hymenoscyphus fraxineus aggressiveness differs between northern and southern European populations

This study demonstrates that *Hymenoscyphus fraxineus* has undergone local adaptation during its southward spread in Europe, with Italian populations exhibiting greater plasticity and maintained aggressiveness under higher temperatures and different host species compared to northern populations.

Becans, C., Robin, C., Martelli, A., Lepoittevin, C., Aubert, A., Soularue, J.-P.2026-02-11