A new computational method for timing the tr... ( With its deeply embedded roots sturd...)

A new computational method for timing the tree of life

Date:11/6/2012

With its deeply embedded roots, sturdy trunk and dense profusion of branches, the Tree of Life is a structure of nearly unfathomable complexity and beauty. While major strides have been made to establish the evolutionary hierarchy encompassing every living species, the project is still in its infancy.

At Arizona State University's Biodesign Institute, Sudhir Kumar has been filling in the Tree of Life by developing sophisticated methods and bioinformatics tools. His latest research, which appeared on the advance online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences will uniquely enable scientists to analyze very large datasests to set time to the multitude of branching points (nodes) on the tree, each representing a point of species divergence from a common ancestor. The new method differs significantly from currently used techniques and excels in providing results of equal or greater accuracy at speeds of 1000 times or faster.

For the proper study of evolutionary history, two components are key: the relationships between organisms (known as phylogeny) and their times of divergence. As Kumar explains, the powerful technique for estimating the time of divergence between species was initially realized over four decades ago, when the concept of molecular clocks was introduced. Initially the idea rested on the assumption that alterations in either the amino acid sequences of proteins or the nucleotide sequences of DNA between various species accumulate at a uniform rate over time and can be used to evaluate divergence times. The resulting phylogenetic structure is known as a "TimeTree," that is, a tree of life scaled to time.

Prior to the use of molecular clocks, morphological changes between species were the primary means of identifying divergence times. Since then, molecular clocks have proved a vital tool for evolutionary biologists, supplementing the fossil record and providing a powerful means to time t
'/>"/>

Contact: Richard Harth
richard.harth@asu.edu
Arizona State University
Source:Eurekalert

0

GOOD

Page: 1 2 3
Related biology news :

1. GW announces creation of Computational Biology Institute to conduct integrated research
2. George Washington University Computational Biology Director solves 200-year-old oceanic mystery
3. New 3-D stem cell culture method published in JoVE
4. New methods for better purification of wastewater
5. More effective method of imaging proteins
6. New method for estimating parameters may boost biological models
7. New paper by Notre Dame researchers describes method for cleaning up nuclear waste
8. Scientists discover new method of proton transfer
9. Oceanographers develop method for measuring the pace of life in deep sediments
10. Notre Dame researchers using novel method to combat malaria drug resistance
11. Rapid method of assembling new gene-editing tool could revolutionize genetic research

Post Your Comments:

Related Image:

A new computational method for timing the tree of life

(Date:6/19/2013)... -- New York College of Health Professions announces the publishing ... Office for detecting biometric changes through smart phones, apps ... injured, attacked or killed. This patent is ... Agreements of New York College of Health Professions. ... New York College says, "Our Chairman, ...

(Date:6/19/2013)... expected to contribute to a very large and potentially ... a University of Michigan ecologist and colleagues who released ... Chesapeake Bay. , The Gulf forecast, one of two ... for an oxygen-depleted, or hypoxic, region of between 7,286 ... the 10 largest on record. , The low end ...

(Date:6/19/2013)... provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and ... new open access journal, GeoResJ . , ... and planetary science journals portfolio has its first open ... forum for rapid publication of top research within the ... by six Executive Editors, each covering a different discipline, ...

Breaking Biology News(10 mins):New Technology Using Biometrics Detects If Security Guards Are Attacked, Injured Or Killed 2 New Technology Using Biometrics Detects If Security Guards Are Attacked, Injured Or Killed 3 New Technology Using Biometrics Detects If Security Guards Are Attacked, Injured Or Killed 4 U-M researcher and colleagues predict possible record-setting Gulf of Mexico 'dead zone' 2 U-M researcher and colleagues predict possible record-setting Gulf of Mexico 'dead zone' 3 U-M researcher and colleagues predict possible record-setting Gulf of Mexico 'dead zone' 4

[0] New Technology Using Biometrics Detects If Security Guards Are Attacked, Injured Or Killed [0] U-M researcher and colleagues predict possible record-setting Gulf of Mexico 'dead zone'[0] Elsevier launches open access journal: GeoResJ

... into the atmosphere by power plants and agricultural activities plays ... a global scale, but the impact is greatly amplified in ... research by atmospheric and marine chemists. Ocean acidification ... nitrogen mix with seawater, a process which lowers the pH ...

... an enzyme down a new evolutionary pathway, a team ... form of an enzyme capable of producing a range ... properties. Writing in the current issue (Sept. 9, ... of researchers from the UW-Madison School of Pharmacy describes ...

... the great flood of Noahs generation really occur thousands of ... an ancient tsunami" Will pollution levels in our deep seas ... few of the questions that are being addressed by a ... the non-profit research and education organization, EcoOcean. The ...

Cached Biology News:Acid rain has a disproportionate impact on coastal waters 2 Acid rain has a disproportionate impact on coastal waters 3 Using evolution, UW team creates a template for many new therapeutic agents 2 TAU scientists probe 'deep' questions aboard EcoOcean's environmental research ship 2 TAU scientists probe 'deep' questions aboard EcoOcean's environmental research ship 3

Acid rain has a disproportionate impact on coastal waters Using evolution, UW team creates a template for many new therapeutic agents TAU scientists probe 'deep' questions aboard EcoOcean's environmental research ship

(Date:6/19/2013)... Biotechnology industry pioneer Amgen (NASDAQ: ... BlackLine Systems and enterprise application software leader ... webinar next week entitled "No Account Left Behind! ... to Help Keep Its Account Reconciliations in Good Shape ... The webinar, geared at finance, accounting, audit and compliance ...

(Date:6/19/2013)... Toronto, Canada (PRWEB) June 19, 2013 ... clinical trial business can potentially be worth up ... With this opportunity, the Indian government is taking ... clinical trials the process. , This presentation will ... clinical trial regulations , Immediate and long ...

(Date:6/19/2013)... MN (PRWEB) June 19, 2013 Express ... abuse tests, today announced that it has received Class ... market and sell its DrugCheck® NxStep Onsite Drug ... use of the rapid screening device in near-patient settings, ... Drug Screen Cup received Health Canada Class III approval ...

(Date:6/18/2013)... 2013) A million electric cars could be on roads ... the help of research by the United States Department of ... , Professor Zhongwei Chen is part of a team led ... materials to replace the expensive platinum catalysts in fuel cells. ... fuel cells in vehicles is the cost of the units. ...

Breaking Biology Technology:Amgen Joins BlackLine Systems, SAP for Webinar on Automating Account Reconciliations 2 Amgen Joins BlackLine Systems, SAP for Webinar on Automating Account Reconciliations 3 Amgen Joins BlackLine Systems, SAP for Webinar on Automating Account Reconciliations 4 Express Diagnostics’ DrugCheck® On-site Test Cup Receives Health Canada Class III Medical Device Approval 2 Express Diagnostics’ DrugCheck® On-site Test Cup Receives Health Canada Class III Medical Device Approval 3 US and Canadian researchers drive towards cheaper fuel cells for electric cars 2

[0] Amgen Joins BlackLine Systems, SAP for Webinar on Automating Account Reconciliations [0] Navigating the Dynamic Indian Clinical Trial Landscape, New Webinar Hosted by Xtalks [0] Express Diagnostics’ DrugCheck® On-site Test Cup Receives Health Canada Class III Medical Device Approval [0] US and Canadian researchers drive towards cheaper fuel cells for electric cars

... , Evelyn McGown, Ph.D. , Molecular Devices Corporation. ... introduced SPECTRAmax , the first microplate reader equipped ... selection. It was also the first microplate reader capable ... transformed the microplate reader from a limited colorimetric filterbased ...

... , , ... Protein concentration is commonly estimated by measuring the ... extinction coefficient of the protein. The procedure is feasible because ... fixed 1 cm pathlength. Extinction-based protein assays can also be ...

... INTRODUCTION ... either plasmid or chromosomally encoded bacterial enzymes which hydrolyze β -lactam ... serine active site enzymes. One successful approach to combating the serine ... such as clavulanic acid, in combination with a β -lactam antibiotic ...

UV Absorbance Measurements in SpectraMax Microplate Spectrophotometers MaxLine Application Note #32)PathCheck Applied to Measurement of Protein Solutions in the SpectraMax Plus Microplate Spectrophotometer (MaxLine Application Note #26)A Microtiter-based Assay for the Determination of ID50s of b-lactamase Inhibitors Employing Reporter Substrates Detected at UV or Visible Wavelengths (MaxLine Application Note #20)

... high performance miniature stepper motors available in ... frame sizes. These space-efficient 1.8 2-phase stepper ... including medical instrumentation, medical devices, drug discovery ... Meets a wide range of customer needs ...

... nitrogen base (YNB) is a base medium for ... YNB contains ammonium sulfate but does not contain ... are available. Each pouch contains reagents to ... media or 1000 ml of 10X YNB for ...

... description: Designed for use with dishes and ... is a new product number, created to ... no availability yet, please order under the ... service for assistance. Comp Dim: blade L ...

... (Catalog number SCR004) is a specific and ... ES cell differentiation by the determination of ... are the monoclonal antibodies TRA-2-49 (Catalog Number ... permit the detection of Liver / Bone ...

Biology Products:

LV Series Miniature Stepper Motors from Parker Hannifin Corporation Yeast Nitrogen Base from Invitrogen CORNING CELL LIFTER,STERILE from Sigma-Aldrich Alkaline Phosphatase Detection Kit from CHEMICON