A Cretaceous bug with exaggerated antennae might be a double-edged sword in evolution

AbstractIn the competition for the opposite sex, sexual selection can favor production of exaggerated features, but the high cost of such features in terms of energy consumption and enemy avoidance makes them go to extinction under the influence of natural selection. However, to our knowledge, fossil on exaggerated traits that are conducive to attracting opposite sex are very rare. Here, we report the exaggerated leaf-like expansion antennae of Magnusantenna wuae Du & Chen gen. et sp. nov. (Hemiptera: Coreidae) with more abundant sensory hairs from a new nymph coreid preserved in a Cretaceous Myanmar amber. The antennae are the largest among species of coreid and one of the largest known insects. Such bizarre antennae indicate that sensitive and delicate sensory system and magnificent appearance in Hemiptera have been already well established in mid-Cretaceous. Our findings provide evidence for Darwin’s view that sensory organs play an important role in sexual selection. This nymph with the leaf-like antennae may also represents a new camouflage pattern for defense. However, the oversized antennae are costly to develop and maintain, increasing the risks from predators. Such unparalleled expanded antennae might be the key factor for the evolutionary fate of this Myanmar amber coreid species.SignificanceDarwin proposed the importance of sensory organs in sexual selection, but it was greatly ignored compared with weapons and other common ornaments. Here, we report a new type of insect antennae, the multiple segments leaf-like expansion antennae from a new nymph coreid preserved in a Cretaceous Myanmar amber. Our finding provides evidence for the prominent role of sensory organs in sexual selection and thus supports Darwin’s viewpoint. This discovery demonstrates that high-efficiency antennae were present in Coreidae 99 million years ago. In addition, the exaggerated antennae might represent a new evolutionary innovation for defensive behavior. This is a case in which the high benefits and high costs brought by the exaggerated antennae jointly determine the direction of species evolution.

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Self-sperm induce resistance to the detrimental effects of sexual encounters with males in hermaphroditic nematodes

eLife ◽

10.7554/elife.46418 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Lauren N Booth ◽

Travis J Maures ◽

Robin W Yeo ◽

Cindy Tantilert ◽

Anne Brunet

Keyword(s):

Reproductive Success ◽

Beneficial Effect ◽

Negative Impact ◽

C Elegans ◽

Evolutionary Innovation ◽

Negative Effect ◽

Opposite Sex ◽

Induce Resistance ◽

Sexual Encounters

Sexual interactions have a potent influence on health in several species, including mammals. Previous work in C. elegans identified strategies used by males to accelerate the demise of the opposite sex (hermaphrodites). But whether hermaphrodites evolved counter-strategies against males remains unknown. Here we discover that young C. elegans hermaphrodites are remarkably resistant to brief sexual encounters with males, whereas older hermaphrodites succumb prematurely. Surprisingly, it is not their youthfulness that protects young hermaphrodites, but the fact that they have self-sperm. The beneficial effect of self-sperm is mediated by a sperm-sensing pathway acting on the soma rather than by fertilization. Activation of this pathway in females triggers protection from the negative impact of males. Interestingly, the role of self-sperm in protecting against the detrimental effects of males evolved independently in hermaphroditic nematodes. Endogenous strategies to delay the negative effect of mating may represent a key evolutionary innovation to maximize reproductive success.

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Enzyme promiscuity shapes evolutionary innovation and optimization

10.1101/310946 ◽

2018 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Gabriela I. Guzmán ◽

Troy E. Sandberg ◽

Ryan A. LaCroix ◽

Akos Nyerges ◽

Henrietta Papp ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Evolutionary Dynamics ◽

High Efficiency ◽

Scale Model ◽

Turnover Rates ◽

Enzyme Promiscuity ◽

Evolutionary Innovation ◽

K 12 ◽

Enzyme Functions ◽

Genome Scale

AbstractEvidence suggests that novel enzyme functions evolved from low-level promiscuous activities in ancestral enzymes. Yet, the evolutionary dynamics and physiological mechanisms of how such side activities contribute to systems-level adaptations are poorly understood. Furthermore, it remains untested whether knowledge of an organism’s promiscuous reaction set (‘underground metabolism’) can aid in forecasting the genetic basis of metabolic adaptations. Here, we employ a computational model of underground metabolism and laboratory evolution experiments to examine the role of enzyme promiscuity in the acquisition and optimization of growth on predicted non-native substrates inE. coliK-12 MG1655. After as few as 20 generations, the evolving populations repeatedly acquired the capacity to grow on five predicted novel substrates–D-lyxose, D-2-deoxyribose, D-arabinose, m-tartrate, and monomethyl succinate–none of which could support growth in wild-type cells. Promiscuous enzyme activities played key roles in multiple phases of adaptation. Altered promiscuous activities not only established novel high-efficiency pathways, but also suppressed undesirable metabolic routes. Further, structural mutations shifted enzyme substrate turnover rates towards the new substrate while retaining a preference for the primary substrate. Finally, genes underlying the phenotypic innovations were accurately predicted by genome-scale model simulations of metabolism with enzyme promiscuity. Computational approaches will be essential to synthesize the complex role of promiscuous activities in applied biotechnology and in models of evolutionary adaptation.

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Motivated inhibition of mimicry: The role of relationship involvement in mimicking an attractive opposite-sex other

PsycEXTRA Dataset ◽

10.1037/e633982013-397 ◽

2007 ◽

Author(s):

Johan Karremans

Keyword(s):

Opposite Sex ◽

Relationship Involvement

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Clustering-Triggered Efficient Room Temperature Phosphorescence from Nonconventional Luminophores

10.26434/chemrxiv.9959132 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Shuyuan Zheng ◽

Taiping Hu ◽

Xin Bin ◽

Yunzhong Wang ◽

Yuanping Yi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Room Temperature ◽

High Efficiency ◽

Spin Orbit Coupling ◽

Design Rationale ◽

Emission Mechanism ◽

Room Temperature Phosphorescence ◽

Electronic Interactions ◽

Energy Gaps ◽

Theoretical Results

Pure organic room temperature phosphorescence (RTP) and luminescence from nonconventional luminophores have gained increasing attention. However, it remains challenging to achieve efficient RTP from unorthodox luminophores, on account of the unsophisticated understanding of the emission mechanism. Here we propose a strategy to realize efficient RTP in nonconventional luminophores through incorporation of lone pairs together with clustering and effective electronic interactions. The former promotes spin-orbit coupling and boost the consequent intersystem crossing, whereas the latter narrows energy gaps and stabilizes the triplets, thus synergistically affording remarkable RTP. Experimental and theoretical results of urea and its derivatives verify the design rationale. Remarkably, RTP from thiourea solids with unprecedentedly high efficiency of up to 24.5% is obtained. Further control experiments testify the crucial role of through-space delocalization on the emission. These results would spur the future fabrication of nonconventional phosphors, and moreover should advance understanding of the underlying emission mechanism.<br>

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Menguji Kepuasan Hubungan Melalui Intimasi dan Perasaan Cemburu pada Pelaku Hubungan Friends with Benefits

Jurnal Psikologi Teori dan Terapan ◽

10.26740/jptt.v10n2.p114-126 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (2) ◽

pp. 114

Author(s):

Putu Yunita Trisna Dewi ◽

M. Arief Sumantri

Keyword(s):

Relationship Satisfaction ◽

Romantic Relationship ◽

Descriptive Analysis ◽

Friends With Benefits ◽

Opposite Sex ◽

Social Intimacy ◽

Relationship Assessment ◽

The Relationship ◽

Assessment Scales

Friends with Benefits (FWB) is a friendship of the opposite sex that involves sexual activity without commitment, feelings of love and encouragement to continue the relationship toward a romantic relationship. This study aims to determine the role of intimacy and jealousy towards the relationship satisfaction of individuals undergoing the FWB and the role of jealousy towards intimacy, and describing the emotions and views of participants on their FWB relationships. The subjects were 304 people undergoing FWB relationship in the last two years. Data were collected using Miller Social Intimacy, Multidimensional Jealousy, and Relationship Assessment Scales. Hierarchical linear regression and descriptive analysis were used to analyze data. Participants’ experiences of their FBW relationship were also collected and analyzed qualitatively. The result showed that intimacy and jealousy significantly predicted the relationship satisfaction both simultaneously and partially. Jealousy also significantly influences intimacy. A qualitative analysis reveals three categories that describe the emotions and views of the participants towards their FWB relationships, namely feeling satisfied and happy, feeling less satisfied and regretful, and feeling happy but regretful.Keywords : friends with benefits, intimacy, jealousy, relationship satisfaction. Abstrak: Friends with Benefits (FWB) adalah hubungan pertemanan lawan jenis yang melibatkan hubungan seksual tanpa komitmen, perasaan cinta dan dorongan untuk melanjutkan ke hubungan yang romantis. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menguji peranan intimasi dan perasaan cemburu terhadap kepuasan hubungan partisipan yang menjalani hubungan FWB, peranan perasaan cemburu terhadap intimasi, serta mendeskripsikan gambaran emosi dan pandangan partisipan saat menjalani hubungan FWB. Partisipan penelitian berjumlah 304 partisipan, yang menjalani hubungan FWB dalam kurun waktu dua tahun terakhir. Data dikumpulkan dengan skala Miller Social Intimacy, Multi-dimensional Jealousy, dan Relationship Assesment. Data dianalisis menggunakan regresi linier berjenjang. Data kualitatif juga dikumpulkan dan dianalisis secara deskriptif untuk mendalami perasaan dan pandangan partisipan terhadap FWB yang dijalani. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan intimasi dan perasaan cemburu secara signifikan mempengaruhi kepuasan hubungan baik secara simultan maupun parsial. Perasaan cemburu juga secara signifikan memberi pengaruh terhadap intimasi. Secara kualitatif, ditemukan tiga kategori yang menggambarkan emosi dan pandangan partisipan dalam menjalani hubungan FWB, yaitu merasa puas dan senang, kurang puas hingga menyesal, dan merasa senang namun ada penyesalan.

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Protective Role of Glutathione in the Hippocampus after Brain Ischemia

International Journal of Molecular Sciences ◽

10.3390/ijms22157765 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 22 (15) ◽

pp. 7765

Author(s):

Youichirou Higashi ◽

Takaaki Aratake ◽

Takahiro Shimizu ◽

Shogo Shimizu ◽

Motoaki Saito

Keyword(s):

Oxidative Stress ◽

Neuronal Death ◽

Excitatory Amino Acid ◽

Ischemia Reperfusion ◽

Thiol Group ◽

Protective Role ◽

Key Factor ◽

Rate Limiting ◽

Cysteine Uptake

Stroke is a major cause of death worldwide, leading to serious disability. Post-ischemic injury, especially in the cerebral ischemia-prone hippocampus, is a serious problem, as it contributes to vascular dementia. Many studies have shown that in the hippocampus, ischemia/reperfusion induces neuronal death through oxidative stress and neuronal zinc (Zn2+) dyshomeostasis. Glutathione (GSH) plays an important role in protecting neurons against oxidative stress as a major intracellular antioxidant. In addition, the thiol group of GSH can function as a principal Zn2+ chelator for the maintenance of Zn2+ homeostasis in neurons. These lines of evidence suggest that neuronal GSH levels could be a key factor in post-stroke neuronal survival. In neurons, excitatory amino acid carrier 1 (EAAC1) is involved in the influx of cysteine, and intracellular cysteine is the rate-limiting substrate for the synthesis of GSH. Recently, several studies have indicated that cysteine uptake through EAAC1 suppresses ischemia-induced neuronal death via the promotion of hippocampal GSH synthesis in ischemic animal models. In this article, we aimed to review and describe the role of GSH in hippocampal neuroprotection after ischemia/reperfusion, focusing on EAAC1.

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