The origin story and emergence of molecular biology is muddled. The early triumphs in
bacterial genetics and the complexity of animal and plant genomes complicate an intricate …

Cross-species gene transfer is often associated with bacteria, which have evolved several
mechanisms that facilitate horizontal DNA exchange. However, the increased availability of …

The ecology and genetic diversity of the model yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae before
human domestication remain poorly understood. Taiwan is regarded as part of this yeast's …

Starter cultures are defined as selected microbial preparations used to increase the
efficiency of fermentation processes. In the food industry, numerous microbial cultures are …

Hybridization between species often leads to non-viable or infertile offspring, yet examples
of evolutionarily successful interspecific hybrids have been reported in all kingdoms of life …

The most common fermented beverage, lager beer, is produced by interspecies hybrids of
the brewing yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and its wild relative S. eubayanus. Lager …

The burgeoning interest in archaic, traditional, and novel beer styles has coincided with a
growing appreciation of the role of yeasts in determining beer character as well as a better …

Highlights•Distant fungal lineages have been domesticated for cheese-or salami-
making.•Multiple independent domestication events occurred within fungal species.•Parallel …

Production of leavened bread dates to the second millennium BCE. Since then, the art of
bread making has developed, yet the evolution of bread-associated microbial species …

Domestication of plants and animals is the foundation for feeding the world human
population but can profoundly alter the biology of the domesticated species. Here we …