Fungi took a unique evolutionary route to multicellularity: Seven key challenges for fungal multicellular life

An evolutionary scenario for the transition to undifferentiated multicellularity.

The evolutionary transition from single cells toward multicellular forms of life represents one of the major transitions in the evolution of complex organisms. In this transition, single autonomously reproducing cells became parts of larger reproducing entities that eventually constituted a new unit of selection. The first step in the evolutionary transition to multicellularity likely was the e...

Animals and Fungi: Common Origin, but Independent Approaches to Multicellularity

Motivation: Numerous recent publications have demonstrated convincingly that the most effective approach to understanding the origin of the human genome is comparative animal genomics (e.g., (1-3)). Similarly, to understand the origin of multicellularity and animal-specific gene families that are relevant to human development, health and complex diseases, we need to trace back these features to...

A conceptual framework for the evolutionary origins of multicellularity.

The evolution of multicellular organisms from unicellular counterparts involved a transition in Darwinian individuality from single cells to groups. A particular challenge is to understand the nature of the earliest groups, the causes of their evolution, and the opportunities for emergence of Darwinian properties. Here we outline a conceptual framework based on a logical set of possible pathway...

The Seven Key Challenges of Conduct Risk Management

Seven challenges for neuroscience.

Although twenty-first century neuroscience is a major scientific enterprise, advances in basic research have not yet translated into benefits for society. In this paper, I outline seven fundamental challenges that need to be overcome. First, neuroscience has to become "big science" - we need big teams with the resources and competences to tackle the big problems. Second, we need to create inter...