Published in Current Biology, a new method from scientists at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) harnesses ‘jumping genes’ to recreate the termite tree of life, showcasing a new way for researchers to solve ancient evolutionary mysteries. "Challenges arise when trying to predict evolution across deep history," says author Professor Thomas Bourguignon. "Phylogenetic signals are often weak, and radiation events, where species rapidly diversify over a short period, add complexity, making it difficult to identify the order that individual species emerged. Our new method supports researchers to tackle these tricky scenarios”.

About The Study: In a cross-sectional, nationally representative survey of 522 parent-teen dyads, frequent parent-teen sexual health communication was associated with increased teen self-efficacy for sexual and reproductive health information and service seeking, but this depended on how comfortable and informed their parents felt. These findings suggest that parents must possess accurate information and comfort to discuss sexual health topics. 

The two main approaches for discovering disease genes reveal distinct, complementary aspects of biology.