Epistasis occurs when the effect of a mutation depends on its carrier's genetic background.
Despite increasing evidence that epistasis for fitness is common, its role during evolution is …

INTRODUCTION Several novel variants of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2
(SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes COVID-19, emerged in late 2020. One of these, Variant …

A novel SARS-CoV-2 variant, VOC 202012/01, emerged in southeast England in November
2020 and is rapidly spreading towards fixation. Using a variety of statistical and dynamic …

Population persistence in a new and stressful environment can be influenced by the plastic
phenotypic responses of individuals to this environment, and by the genetic evolution of …

We analysed 9,030 variant-specific RT-PCR tests performed on SARS-CoV-2-positive
samples collected in France between 31 May and 21 June 2021. This analysis revealed …

To estimate the number and diversity of beneficial mutations, we experimentally evolved 115
populations of Escherichia coli to 42.2° C for 2000 generations and sequenced one genome …

Determining the fitness of specific microbial genotypes has extensive application in
microbial genetics, evolution, and biotechnology. While estimates from growth curves are …

As with other pathogens, competitive interactions between Bordetella pertussis strains drive
infection risk. Vaccines are thought to perturb strain diversity through shifts in immune …

Bacteria commonly grow in densely populated surface-bound communities, termed biofilms,
where they gain benefits including superior access to nutrients and resistance to …

To break down organismal fitness into molecular contributions, costs and benefits of cellular
components must be analyzed in all phases of the organism's life cycle. Here, we establish …