Molecular Biology and Evolution

Molecular Biology and Evolution
Title	Molecular Biology and Evolution
Discipline	Biology
Established	1983
Publisher	Oxford University Press
Country	United States
Frequency	Monthly

Contents

Molecular Biology and Evolution is a peer-reviewed scientific journal publishing research at the intersection of molecular biology, evolutionary biology, genetics, and genomics. It serves as a forum for studies that connect molecular mechanisms with evolutionary patterns, attracting submissions from authors affiliated with institutions such as Harvard University, University of Cambridge, Stanford University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and University of California, Berkeley. The journal's readership includes researchers from organizations like the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Max Planck Society, and Wellcome Trust.

Overview

Molecular Biology and Evolution publishes original articles, reviews, and commentaries on topics ranging from molecular phylogenetics to comparative genomics involving contributors from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Salk Institute, Broad Institute, Imperial College London, and University of Oxford. Typical studies employ model systems from laboratories such as Francis Crick Institute, John Innes Centre, Carnegie Institution for Science, and field sites associated with Smithsonian Institution and Australian National University. The editorial board historically includes editors linked to awards like the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, Lasker Award, and memberships in academies including the Royal Society and National Academy of Sciences. Work published often intersects with projects and consortia such as the Human Genome Project, 1000 Genomes Project, ENCODE Project, 100,000 Genomes Project, and Earth BioGenome Project.

The journal was founded amid developments in molecular techniques emerging from laboratories tied to figures like James Watson, Francis Crick, Rosalind Franklin, Frederick Sanger, and Max Perutz, reflecting transitions from early biochemistry at institutions such as University of Cambridge and King's College London to genomics efforts at Baylor College of Medicine and Washington University in St. Louis. The rise of polymerase chain reaction technology from Thomas Edison-era patents and innovations by researchers at Hoffmann-La Roche and PerkinElmer influenced adoption in evolutionary studies alongside sequencing platforms developed by Illumina, Pacific Biosciences, and Oxford Nanopore Technologies. Milestones in the field involve collaborations with programs like National Human Genome Research Institute and initiatives from European Research Council and Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.

Common experimental methods include DNA sequencing workflows originating in labs associated with Sanger Institute, high-throughput assays from Broad Institute, and single-cell techniques developed at Stanford University School of Medicine and University of Pennsylvania. Computational approaches draw on algorithms and software from groups tied to University of California, Santa Cruz and University of Washington contributing tools comparable to those produced by teams connected to Google DeepMind and IBM Research. Authors use phylogenetic frameworks built on mathematics from scholars at Princeton University, University of Chicago, and ETH Zurich, and leverage statistical packages originating at University of California, Los Angeles and Johns Hopkins University. Laboratory protocols often reference reagents supplied by firms like Thermo Fisher Scientific and instrumentation from Agilent Technologies.

Articles analyze processes such as molecular adaptation investigated in contexts studied by researchers affiliated with Duke University, Yale University, and Columbia University, and molecular clock estimation refined by groups at University of Edinburgh and University of Tokyo. Topics include population genetics theory expanded by work linked to Wright-Fisher model proponents and coalescent theory advanced by investigators at University of Oxford and University of California, Davis. Structural evolution studies connect to cryo-electron microscopy developments at MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology and computational protein prediction influenced by teams associated with University of Toronto and Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Horizontal gene transfer, gene duplication, and regulatory evolution appear in research from University of Copenhagen and University of Helsinki.

Published findings report on phylogeography informed by collections at Natural History Museum, London, conservation genetics supported by IUCN, and pathogen evolution with implications for public health agencies such as World Health Organization and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Applied outcomes include crop improvement research with partners like CIMMYT and International Rice Research Institute, biodiversity genomics coordinated with Botanical Garden, Kew and Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, and insights into antibiotic resistance relevant to World Health Organization guidelines and policy bodies such as Food and Agriculture Organization. Translational work has informed biotechnology ventures incubated at Biocon and Moderna.

The journal and field face debates over reproducibility emphasized by commissions linked to National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and publication practices scrutinized by organizations like Committee on Publication Ethics. Ethical controversies include genomic data access disputes involving consortia like HUGO and debates over benefit sharing with indigenous communities represented by groups such as United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and legal frameworks from Convention on Biological Diversity. There are ongoing discussions about computational bias raised by collaborations involving European Bioinformatics Institute and patent disputes touching corporations including Thermo Fisher Scientific and Illumina.

Category:Scientific journals