A molecular phylogeny of the Petaluridae (Odonata: Anisoptera): A 160-Million-Year-Old story of drift and extinction.

Petaluridae (Odonata: Anisoptera) is a relict dragonfly family, having diverged from its sister family in the Jurassic, of eleven species that are notable among odonates (dragonflies and damselflies) for their exclusive use of fen and bog habitats, their burrowing behavior as nymphs, large body size as adults, and extended lifespans. To date, several nodes within this family remain unresolved, limiting the study of the evolution of this peculiar family. Using an anchored hybrid enrichment dataset of over 900 loci we reconstructed the species tree of Petaluridae.

Exploring chromosome evolution in 250 million year old groups of dragonflies and damselflies (Insecta:Odonata).

Using recently published chromosome-length genome assemblies of two damselfly species, Ischnura elegans and Platycnemis pennipes, and two dragonfly species, Pantala flavescens and Tanypteryx hageni, we demonstrate that the autosomes of Odonata have undergone few fission, fusion, or inversion events, despite 250 million years of separation. In the four genomes discussed here, our results show that all autosomes have a clear ortholog in the ancestral karyotype. Despite this clear chromosomal orthology, we demonstrate that different factors, including concentration of repeat dynamics, GC content, relative position on the chromosome, and the relative proportion of coding sequence all influence the density of syntenic blocks across chromosomes.

Evolution of Odonata: genomic insights.

Odonata is an order of insects that comprises ∼6500 species. They are among the earliest flying insects, and one of the first diverging lineages in the Pterygota. Odonate evolution has been a topic of research for over 100 years, with studies focusing primarily on their flight behavior, color, vision, and aquatic juvenile lifestyles.

A Chromosome-length Assembly of the Black Petaltail (Tanypteryx hageni) Dragonfly.

We present a chromosome-length genome assembly and annotation of the Black Petaltail dragonfly (Tanypteryx hageni). This habitat specialist diverged from its sister species over 70 million years ago, and separated from the most closely related Odonata with a reference genome 150 million years ago. Using PacBio HiFi reads and Hi-C data for scaffolding we produce one of the most high-quality Odonata genomes to date.

Barriers to teaching evolution in higher education.

Background: Although progress has been made in evolution education, many educators face significant barriers in their efforts to teach evolution specifically, and science in general. The purpose of this study was to identify faculty-perceived barriers to teaching evolution, specifically in religiously affiliated institutions or institutions with a highly religious student body, as well as resources faculty feel would help promote discourse around faith, evolution and science. To do this, we held a workshop with teams consisting of a science professor, a theologian and a pastor (of the predominant on-campus faith tradition) from 17 different institutions of higher education with highly religious student bodies for the purpose of helping them to create a curriculum to address perceived conflicts between science and faith.

Predictors of compliance with COVID-19 related non-pharmaceutical interventions among university students in the United States.

The world is currently dealing with a devastating pandemic. Although growing COVID-19 case numbers, deaths, and hospitalizations are concerning, this spread is particularly alarming in the United States where polarizing opinions, changing policies, and misinformation abound. In particular, American college campuses have been a venue of rampant transmission, with concerning spillover into surrounding, more vulnerable, communities.

Reconciling evolution: evidence from a biology and theology course.

Background: Many individuals reject evolutionary theory due to a perceived conflict with their religious beliefs. To bridge this gap, educators have attempted different approaches including approaching evolution rejection as a consequence of deficit thinking and teaching students the nature of science (including the scientific process and peer review process as well as questions that science can and cannot answer).Teaching the nature of science has shown promising gains in the acceptance of evolution, although acceptance rates remain low.

Using a Reconciliation Module Leads to Large Gains in Evolution Acceptance.

Too many students reject the theory of evolution because they view it as incompatible with their religious beliefs. Some have argued that abandoning religious belief is the only way to help religious individuals accept evolution. Conversely, our data support that highlighting faith/evolution compatibility is an effective means to increase student acceptance.