📄 Category

evolutionary biology

337 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

The not-so-great speciator: Systematics and species limits in a rapid radiation, the Asiatic white-eye complex (Zosterops spp.)

Through an integrative analysis of genomic, allelic, and morphological data, this study resolves the complex systematics of the rapidly radiating Asiatic white-eye group, revealing deep phylogenetic splits and distinct morphological evolution while concluding that many observed population differences, such as the paraphyletic *Z. montanus*, likely do not yet represent fully independent species lineages.

Mays, H. L., McKay, B. D., Nishiumi, I., Yao, C., Zou, F., Boyd, M., DeRaad, D., Lin, R., Kawakami, K., Kim, C.-H., Kuba (…)2026-02-27
📄 evolutionary biology

Phylogenomic analyses of the Austral podocarps (Podocarpus: Podocarpaceae) reveals unlikely hybrid ancestry of a New Zealand species

Phylogenomic analyses using targeted capture data reveal that the New Zealand alpine conifer *Podocarpus nivalis* originated as a hybrid between the New Zealand species *P. laetus* and the Australian *P. lawrencei*, highlighting the significance of reticulate evolution in Southern Hemisphere conifers.

Khan, R., Biffin, E., Conran, J., Hill, R., van Dijk, K.-J., Waycott, M.2026-02-27
📄 evolutionary biology

Transition from infectivity and immune escape to pure escape as an evolutionary strategy during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This study reveals that while early SARS-CoV-variant evolution was driven by increasing infectivity, subsequent selective sweeps were primarily fueled by the additive accumulation of mutations enhancing immune escape, allowing successful strains to maintain high infectivity while continuously evolving antigenicity.

Kotzen, B., Gurev, S., Youssef, N., Jaimes, J., Luban, J., Marks, D., Seaman, M., Lemieux, J. E.2026-02-27
📄 evolutionary biology

Calcareous sponge cell atlas provides support to homology between sponge and eumetazoan body plans

By comparing single-cell transcriptomes of the calcareous sponge *Sycon capricorn* with those of demosponges and cnidarians, this study validates Haeckel's hypothesis that sponge body layers (choanoderm and pinacoderm) are homologous to eumetazoan germ layers (endoderm and ectoderm), positioning sponges as an intermediate evolutionary step between protists and complex animals.

Pan, D., Rajapaksha, D., Caglar, C., Rathjen, R., Adamski, M., Adamska, M.2026-02-27
📄 evolutionary biology

Morphological characterization of moulting in the Atlantic horseshoecrab Limulus polyphemus: phylogenetic conservation amongchelicerates and evolutionary convergence of ecdysis linked to headshield patterns

This study provides a detailed morphological characterization of the moulting process in the Atlantic horseshoe crab (*Limulus polyphemus*), establishing a non-invasive method for staging development while revealing that its ecdysis patterns reflect both phylogenetic conservation with other chelicerates and evolutionary convergence across arthropods.

Kim, K. M., Lynch, S., Drage, H. B., Antcliffe, J., Chipman, A., Daley, A. C., Robinson-Rechavi, M.2026-02-27
📄 evolutionary biology

Seminal fluid proteins can mitigate sexual conflict: the case of remating in insects

Using a mathematical model based on *Drosophila melanogaster*, this study demonstrates that while seminal fluid proteins initially appear to drive sexual conflict by delaying female remating, they ultimately mitigate this conflict by providing females with a flexible range of remating intervals that enhances reproductive resilience and selectivity.

Michalak, P., Duneau, D., Ferdy, J.-B.2026-02-27
📄 evolutionary biology

Interacting effects of sex and age on immune responses in a polygynous bat with male-biased mortality

This study reveals that in the polygynous greater spear-nosed bat, males and older individuals mount stronger inflammatory responses with males exhibiting accelerated immunosenescence linked to their higher mortality, while social status appears to have little impact on immune variation.

Rayner, J. G., Adams, D. M., El-Sayed, N. M., Mosser, D. M., Wilkinson, G. S.2026-02-27
📄 evolutionary biology

Taming the Genetic Fire: Transposable Element diversity across thermal environments in polychaetes

This study reveals that transposable element diversity in polychaetes is significantly lower in thermally unstable environments like hydrothermal vents, suggesting that natural selection balances thermal stress-induced transposition against the accumulation of deleterious mutations to maintain sustainable genome-wide mutation rates.

Lamothe, L., Hourdez, S., Robert, T., Bonnivard, E.2026-02-26
📄 evolutionary biology

Parallel evolution of industrial melanism in the peppered moth: one locus, many alleles

This study reveals that industrial melanism in the peppered moth evolved independently in Britain and continental Europe via distinct structural variants at the same *ivory* locus, demonstrating that parallel adaptation can arise from multiple different mutations within a single gene.

Whiteford, I., Campagne, P., van't Hof, A. E., Yung, C. J., Berenbrink, M., Tian, S., Todd, F., Delf, J., Monteiro, A. (…)2026-02-26
📄 evolutionary biology

Geomorphic evolution of a Caribbean biological hotspot

By integrating high-resolution geomorphic data with sea-level models, this study reconstructs the millennial-scale evolution of Panama's Bocas del Toro Archipelago to reveal how its unique history of sequential island isolation and habitat fluctuation drives terrestrial biodiversity patterns, while projecting significant future shifts in shallow marine habitats under climate change.

O'Dea, A., Titcomb, M., Anderson, L. H., de Gracia, B., Flantua, S., Hynes, M. G., Parsons, T., Schloeder, C., Braun, M. (…)2026-02-25