Evolution of a minimal cell.

Possessing only essential genes, a minimal cell can reveal mechanisms and processes that are critical for the persistence and stability of life. Here we report on how an engineered minimal cell contends with the forces of evolution compared with the Mycoplasma mycoides non-minimal cell from which it was synthetically derived. Mutation rates were the highest among all reported bacteria, but were not affected by genome minimization.

Low costs of adaptation to dietary restriction.

Dietary restriction (DR) is the most successful and widespread means of extending organismal lifespan. However, the evolutionary basis of life extension under DR remains uncertain. The traditional evolutionary explanation is that when organisms experience DR, they allocate endogenous resources to survival and postpone reproduction until conditions improve.

Publisher Correction: Microbial ageing and longevity.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

Microbial ageing and longevity.

Longevity reflects the ability to maintain homeostatic conditions necessary for life as an organism ages. A long-lived organism must contend not only with environmental hazards but also with internal entropy and macromolecular damage that result in the loss of fitness during ageing, a phenomenon known as senescence. Although central to many of the core concepts in biology, ageing and longevity have primarily been investigated in sexually reproducing, multicellular organisms.