N. Lane

A chance insight into phosgene toxicity

The paper uses ESR spectroscopy on fruit flies to show phosgene causes Mn(II) hyperfine signals linked to mitochondrial dysfunction and toxicity.

Prebiotic membrane structures mimic the morphology of purported early traces of life on Earth

This study shows that prebiotically plausible organic molecules form diverse structures resembling early microfossils, highlighting the challenges of interpreting morphological biosignatures.

Assessing the role of mitonuclear interactions on mitochondrial function and organismal fitness in natural Drosophila populations

This study examines mitonuclear interactions in Drosophila populations, finding that natural disruptions affect mitochondrial function and fitness traits like reproduction and survival.

Repeat sequences limit the effectiveness of LGT and favoured the evolution of meiotic sex in early eukaryotes

The paper shows that repeat sequences in early eukaryotes limited lateral gene transfer effectiveness, favoring the evolution of meiotic sex for genome stability.

Mitonuclear interactions produce extreme differences in response to redox stress

The paper examines how mitonuclear incompatibilities affect redox stress response in Drosophila, showing genotype-specific effects on respiration and glutathione levels.

The limits of metabolic heredity in protocells

This study shows that nucleotide catalysis can promote protocell growth when directly involved in CO2 fixation, but not when catalyzing other pathways.

A prebiotic basis for ATP as the universal energy currency

This paper investigates the prebiotic chemistry of ATP, showing that acetyl phosphate could have driven protometabolism before ATP synthesis and that Fe3+ ions favor ADP phosphorylation to ATP.

Mother's curse is pervasive across a large mito-nuclear Drosophila panel

The paper tests the mothers curse hypothesis using a large Drosophila mito-nuclear panel, finding that mitochondrial genetic variance affects males more than females in most nuclear backgrounds.

The need for high-quality oocyte mitochondria at extreme ploidy dictates germline development

The paper develops computational models to show that mitochondrial selection through the Balbiani body is critical for maintaining quality in high-ploidy oocytes, explaining female germline development patterns.

Genome expansion in early eukaryotes drove the transition from lateral gene transfer to meiotic sex

The paper models how genome size and recombination length influence the evolutionary transition from lateral gene transfer to meiotic sex in early eukaryotes.

CO2 reduction driven by a pH gradient

This study demonstrates CO2 reduction by H2 using pH gradients and Fe(Ni)S precipitates, producing formate and revealing an electrochemical mechanism.