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Real-Time Evolution: How Marine Snails Rapidly Adapted to a New Environment After Ecological Disaster In 1988, a toxic algal bloom devastated populations of the marine snail Littorina saxatilis along Sweden’s Koster Archipelago, particularly impacting “wave type” snails known for their small size and adaptability to rocky, wave-exposed environments. Four years later, biologist Kerstin Johannesson reintroduced a different variety, the “crab type” snails, to one of these islands. Unlike the wave type, crab-type snails are larger, with thicker shells suited for predator-heavy areas rather than wave-battered rocks. This reintroduction set the stage for an extraordinary real-time evolutionary experiment. By observing the geographically isolated island population, researchers noted that within a decade, the crab-type snails began evolving to suit their new wave-heavy environment, changing in shape and behavior. This adaptation was made possible by pre-existing genetic diversity w...

Hi Folks!! Follow our blog on  Instagram . BECAUSE IT IS SHAPE-SHIFTING Most vaccines induce our body to make antibodies to fight different pathogens, but HIV disguises itself so that  even if we make antibodies, the virus changes to escape them.  Early vaccine candidates targeted the envelope protein that encapsulates the virus genome. When we found that antibodies against the envelope protein didn't work, then we thought, maybe we could target different parts of the virus that induce T cells, which kill infected cells. However because the virus integrates itself into the host genome, the T cells didn't recognize the viruses as separate from hosts.  LIMITATIONS OF CURRENT TECHNOLOGY Because the virus itself integrates into host DNA, it limits the vaccine platforms we can use. We traditionally have used live attenuated vaccines for different viral diseases like measles, mumps, and rubella, but we can't use that for HIV because of the concern that live attenuated viru...

Hi Folks!! Follow our blog on Instagram  LAB IN THE BOX Proxima Centauri b: A Super-Earth Neighbor and the Quest for Habitability Proxima Centauri b, orbiting the star Proxima Centauri, stands as one of the most intriguing exoplanetary discoveries of recent times. Its proximity to Earth, a mere four light-years away, positions it as a prime candidate for further investigation into the possibility of life beyond our solar system. The planet, discovered in 2016, is categorized as a **super-Earth**, meaning it is slightly more massive than our home planet—about 1.27 times Earth's mass. However, the challenges to its habitability are as fascinating as its proximity. Orbital Characteristics and Proximity to Proxima Centauri Proxima b orbits Proxima Centauri , a red dwarf star of the M-type, much smaller and cooler than our Sun. Despite this, Proxima b is extremely close to its star, orbiting at just **0.0485 AU** (around 7.25 million kilometers)—a fraction of the Earth-Sun distance. It ...