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How evolution builds genes from scratch

Scientists long assumed that new genes appear when evolution tinkers with old ones. It turns out that natural selection is much more creative.
  1. Adam Levy

    1. Adam Levy is a science journalist based in London.

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In the depths of winter, water temperatures in the ice-covered Arctic Ocean can sink below zero. That’s cold enough to freeze many fish, but the conditions don’t trouble the cod. A protein in its blood and tissues binds to tiny ice crystals and stops them from growing.

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Nature 574, 314-316 (2019)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-019-03061-x

Updates & Corrections

  • Clarification 13 November 2019: After publication of our story, we learnt that another scientist had suggested the de novo origin of antifreeze protein genes before Helle Baalsrud’s team.

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