SMBE 40th Anniversary

Challenges in the Tree of Life

Perspective Article from GBE: Challenges in Assembling the Dated Tree of Life
Carlos G Schrago and Beatriz Mello

The assembly of a comprehensive and dated Tree of Life (ToL) remains one of the most formidable challenges in evolutionary biology. The complexity of life's history, involving both vertical and horizontal transmission of genetic information, defies its representation by a simple bifurcating phylogeny. With the advent of genome and metagenome sequencing, vast amounts of data have become available.

Perspective Article from MBE: Epigenetics Research in Evolutionary Biology: Perspectives on Timescales and Mechanisms
Soojin V Yi

Epigenetics and Evolution

Epigenetics research in evolutionary biology encompasses a variety of research areas, from regulation of gene expression to inheritance of environmentally mediated phenotypes. Such divergent research foci can occasionally render the umbrella term “epigenetics” ambiguous. Here I discuss several areas of contemporary epigenetics research in the context of evolutionary biology, aiming to provide balanced views across timescales and molecular mechanisms.

Genomic Innovations in Extremophiles

Perspective Article from GBE: Lessons from Extremophiles: Functional Adaptations and Genomic Innovations across the Eukaryotic Tree of Life
H B Rappaport and Angela M Oliverio

From hydrothermal vents, to glaciers, to deserts, research in extreme environments has reshaped our understanding of how and where life can persist. Contained within the genomes of extremophilic organisms are the blueprints for a toolkit to tackle the multitude of challenges of survival in inhospitable environments. As new sequencing technologies have rapidly developed, so too has our understanding of the molecular and genomic mechanisms that have facilitated the success of extremophiles.

Recombination and Meiosis

Perspective Article from MBE: Understanding the Genetic Basis of Variation in Meiotic Recombination: Past, Present, and Future
Susan E Johnston

Meiotic recombination is a fundamental feature of sexually reproducing species. It is often required for proper chromosome segregation and plays important role in adaptation and the maintenance of genetic diversity. The molecular mechanisms of recombination are remarkably conserved across eukaryotes, yet meiotic genes and proteins show substantial variation in their sequence and function, even between closely related species.

Evolutionary Impacts of Endosymbiosis

Perspective article from GBE: Endosymbioses Have Shaped the Evolution of Biological Diversity and Complexity Time and Time Again
Gordon M Bennett, Younghwan Kwak, and Reo Maynard

Life on Earth comprises prokaryotes and a broad assemblage of endosymbioses. The pages of Molecular Biology and Evolution and Genome Biology and Evolution have provided an essential window into how these endosymbiotic interactions have evolved and shaped biological diversity. This perspective provides a current perspective on this knowledge by drawing on decades of revelatory research published in the SMBE journals, and insights from the field at large.

F-statistics and Population Structure

Perspective Article from MBE: Wright’s Hierarchical F-Statistics
Marcy K Uyenoyama

This perspective article offers a meditation on F_ST and other quantities developed by Sewall Wright to describe the population structure, defined as any departure from reproduction through random union of gametes.

Microbial Diversity and the Tree of Life

Perspective Article from GBE: Microbial Diversity and Open Questions about the Deep Tree of Life
Laura Eme and Daniel Tamarit

In this perspective, we explore the transformative impact and inherent limitations of metagenomics and single-cell genomics on our understanding of microbial diversity and their integration into the Tree of Life.

Human Genetic Diversification

Perspective Article from MBE: Biogeographic Perspectives on Human Genetic Diversification
Tábita Hünemeier

Modern humans originated in Africa 300,000 yr ago, and before leaving their continent of origin, they underwent a process of intense diversification involving complex demographic dynamics. Upon exiting Africa, different populations emerged on the four other inhabited continents, shaped by the interplay of various evolutionary processes, such as migrations, founder effects, and natural selection.

Neutralist/Selectionist Debate

Perspective Article from GBE: Half a Century of Controversy: The Neutralist/Selectionist Debate in Molecular Evolution
Nicolas Galtier

The neutral and nearly neutral theories, introduced more than 50 yr ago, have raised and still raise passionate discussion regarding the forces governing molecular evolution and their relative importance. The debate, initially focused on the amount of within-species polymorphism and constancy of the substitution rate, has spread, matured, and now underlies a wide range of topics and questions. The neutralist/selectionist controversy has structured the field and influences the way molecular evolutionary scientists conceive their research.

Inferential Methods

Perspective Article from MBE: Forty Years of Inferential Methods in the Journals of the Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution
Claudia A M Russo, Adam Eyre-Walker, Laura A Katz, Brandon S Gaut

We are launching a series to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the first issue of Molecular Biology and Evolution. In 2024, we will publish virtual issues containing selected papers published in the Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution journals, Molecular Biology and Evolution and Genome Biology and Evolution. Each virtual issue will be accompanied by a perspective that highlights the historic and contemporary contributions of our journals to a specific topic in molecular evolution.