{
  "id": 16272163,
  "title": "Surveying the genetic battlefield to uncover the rules of rapid evolution",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/24/surveying-the-genetic-battlefield-to-uncover-the-rules-of-rapid",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-10-24T03:20:02.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Phys.org",
    "slug": "phys-org",
    "url": "https://phys.org/news/2026-10-surveying-genetic-battlefield-uncover-rapid.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Malik Lab focuses on understanding rapid evolution in genomes, often driven by genetic conflicts between entities striving for success. By uncovering these evolutionary rules, the lab's findings can contribute to better disease treatments. One area of study involves the conflict between mosquito-borne alphaviruses like Sindbis and chikungunya and their hosts. A key discovery is a carefully calibrated system that allows the virus to balance protein production without overwhelming other processes. This kinetic Goldilocks effect is facilitated by a special stop codon in the virus's genome, called the opal codon. The opal codon enables the virus to produce enough of a critical polyprotein in humans, where replication occurs quickly, while being unnecessary in mosquitoes. Interestingly, the opal codon remains present in alphaviruses that only infect mosquitoes, suggesting it helps create a viral replication compartment to evade the host's immune system. The lab is now investigating other strategies alphaviruses use to thrive in different hosts. Additionally, the lab has discovered that many animals possess a protein called HJURP, despite previous difficulties in detecting it. This protein is crucial for marking the centromere, the site where chromosomes are pulled apart during cell division. A related finding is that Mst77F, a protamine essential for male fertility, rapidly evolves to suppress a form of genetic cheating in fruit fly sperm, thus skewing the brood towards sons. These discoveries shed light on the adaptive possibilities of genomes and inform the development of antiviral strategies.",
  "summary": "The Malik Lab thrives on competition. But for HHMI investigator Harmit Malik and his team at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, it's the genomes—not the people—that are in conflict. The lab studies rapid evolution—the genetic changes that happen in a species over a few generations rather than thousands of years. These fast changes are often fueled by genetic conflicts—competitions between…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}