Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is arguably the most conspicuous feature of bacterial
evolution. Evidence for HGT is found in most bacterial genomes. Although HGT can …

Plasmids have a key role in bacterial ecology and evolution because they mobilize
accessory genes by horizontal gene transfer. However, recent studies have revealed that …

Experimental evolution is the study of evolutionary processes occurring in experimental
populations in response to conditions imposed by the experimenter. This research approach …

Cancer drug resistance is a major problem, with the majority of patients with metastatic
disease ultimately developing multidrug resistance and succumbing to their disease. Our …

The dynamics of adaptation determine which mutations fix in a population, and hence how
reproducible evolution will be. This is central to understanding the spectra of mutations …

Antibiotic resistance can evolve through the sequential accumulation of multiple mutations.
To study such gradual evolution, we developed a selection device, the'morbidostat', that …

The causative agent of human tuberculosis (TB), M ycobacterium tuberculosis, is an obligate
pathogen that evolved to exclusively persist in human populations. For M. tuberculosis to …

Listeria monocytogenes consists of at least 4 evolutionary lineages (I, II, III, and IV) with
different but overlapping ecological niches. Most L. monocytogenes isolates seem to belong …

Does evolution proceed faster in larger or smaller populations? The relationship between
effective population size (N e) and the rate of evolution has consequences for our ability to …

The lungs of cystic fibrosis (CF) patients are chronically infected for years by one or a few
lineages of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. These bacterial populations adapt to the highly …