An article published in the journal “Communications Biology” describes a research that offers new clues about the genetic origin of the two sexes. A team of researchers led by Dr. Hisayoshi Nozaki of the University of Tokyo studied the volvocine green algae, a group of algae that includes species that have been studied for years in the research on this topic. In this case the analyzes focused on species of the Yamagishiella and Eudorina genera, discovering a key gene in the differentiation between males and females.

An article published in the journal “Nature Communications” describes the discovery of two species of giant viruses that were called Tupanvirus, attributed to the Mimiviridae family, the same that includes other giant virus species discovered in recent years. A team of researchers from various international institutions discovered these two viruses that are larger than some bacteria and have some unusual characteristics for viruses, such as the genes for the synthesis of a lot of proteins.