Biology Discoveries

First complete sequencing of the Neanderthal genome, revealing that modern non-African humans carry 1-4% Neanderthal DNA from ancient interbreeding.

Identification of homeotic selector genes (Hox genes) that control body plan development across virtually all animal phyla.

The hypothesis that evolution proceeds in rapid bursts of speciation interspersed with long periods of stasis, rather than gradual continuous change.

The proposal that mitochondria and chloroplasts originated as free-living prokaryotes engulfed by ancestral eukaryotic cells, forming a symbiotic relationship.

The observation that protein and DNA sequences accumulate mutations at roughly constant rates, allowing estimation of divergence times between species.

Demonstration that genes can transfer between unrelated organisms, particularly among bacteria, rather than only being inherited vertically from parent to offspring.

The theory that species evolve over time through natural selection, where organisms better adapted to their environment survive and reproduce more successfully.