York boffins in evolution revolution (From York Press)

York boffins in evolution revolution

9:35am Tuesday 31st October 2006 in News By Press reporter

The full family tree of the species known as social amoebas has been plotted for the first time - a breakthrough which will provide important clues to the evolution of life on earth.

Researchers, headed by evolutionary biologist Professor Sandie Baldauf, of the University of York, and biochemist Professor Pauline Schaap, of the University of Dundee, have produced the first molecular dictionary' of the 100 or so known species of social amoeba.

Using this family tree, they have devised a model system to establish how single cell organisms communicate and interact to create multi-cellular structures in response to changing environmental conditions. Previously, there was almost no molecular data for social amoeba - Dictyostelia - which are a hugely diverse and ancient group.

Social amoebas are a group of organisms with a genetic diversity that is greater than that of fungi and similar to that of all animals.