Ecological opportunity–through entry into a new environment, the origin of a key innovation
or extinction of antagonists–is widely thought to link ecological population dynamics to …

Recent phylogeographic studies have overturned three paradigms for the origins of marine
biodiversity.(i) Physical (allopatric) isolation is not the sole avenue for marine speciation …

Peptide therapeutics are acclaimed as a promising addition to the pharmaceutical arena,
and they continue to attract interest due to their high potency, bioavailability, and fewer …

We present a large-scale molecular phylogeny that includes 320 of the 761 recognized valid
species of the cone snails (Conus), one of the most diverse groups of marine molluscs …

The origin of novel gene functions through gene duplication, mutation, and natural selection
represents one of the mechanisms by which organisms diversify and one of the possible …

Background Although diet is believed to be a major factor underlying the evolution of venom,
few comparative studies examine both venom composition and diet across a radiation of …

The episodic nature of natural selection and the accumulation of extreme sequence
divergence in venom-encoding genes over long periods of evolutionary time can obscure …

Conopeptides are toxins expressed in the venom duct of cone snails (Conoidea, Conus).
These are mostly well-structured peptides and mini-proteins with high potency and …

In this book, Jan J. Boersema reconstructs the ecological and cultural history of Easter Island
and critiques the hitherto accepted theory of the collapse of its civilization. The collapse …

The macabre human fascination with natural toxins is age-old, but practical. From the eyes
of newt and toads tossed in the cauldron of the witches of Macbeth, to the 'swamp adder'that …