Evolution reflects a balance between innovation and constraint, often repurposing existing components in new contexts. Convergent evolution exemplifies this interplay, with similar traits evolving independently in different species, yet the genomic mechanisms enabling such repeatability remain poorly understood. Here, by analyzing ten chromosome-scale genome assemblies, including seven newly generated, we discovered that the S-locus supergene (a cluster of tightly linked genes controlling a floral dimorphism called distyly) arose independently multiple times within the primrose family, Darwin's iconic system for studying distyly. In each case, the same gene was independently duplicated and co-opted, yet the resulting genomic architectures differed, ranging from hemizygous (present on one chromosome copy) to heterozygous (on both copies). These diverse architectures shaped supergene evolution differently, with genetic degeneration occurring only in the heterozygous case. By uncovering multiple mechanisms for supergene origins, our work shows how convergent evolution can produce similar phenotypes by reusing the same genetic building blocks while exploring distinct genomic configurations. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. Swiss National Science Foundation, https://ror.org/00yjd3n13, 175556 University of Zurich Forschungskredit, FK-19-103 NSERC Postdoctoral fellowship award, 532569-2019 NSERC Discovery Grant, RGPIN-2021-03117

Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy - Rapid amyloid-β clearance and cognitive recovery through multivalent modulation of blood–brain barrier transport

Adenosine triphosphate (ATP)–dependent chromatin remodeling enzymes mobilize nucleosomes, but how such mobilization affects chromatin condensation is unclear. We investigate effects of two major remod...

Gene regulation is mediated by the co-occupancy of numerous proteins along individual chromatin fibers. However, our tools for deeply profiling how proteins co-occupy individual fibers, especially at ...

In primed human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) resembling post-implantation epiblast, numerous lineage-specific enhancers assume the poised chromatin state, co-marked by H3K4me1 and Polycomb-associate...

In contrast to living organisms, viruses were long thought to lack protein synthesis machinery and instead depend on host factors to translate viral transcripts. Here, we discover that giant DNA virus...

Panoptes, an anti-phage defence system against virus-mediated immune suppression, is revealed.

Breugnathair elgolensis gen. et sp. nov., an early squamate identified from a newly discovered Middle Jurassic skeleton on the Isle of Skye, provides new evidence on the origins of snakes.

Deletion of the meiotic subunit RAD21L alters 3D chromatin structure and transcription in the mammalian male germ line.

Humans and animals are ubiquitously colonized by Enterobacteriaceae , a bacterial family that contains both commensals and clinically significant pathogens. Here, we report Enterobacteriaceae megaplas...

In contrast to living organisms, viruses were long thought to lack protein synthesis machinery and instead depend on host factors to translate viral transcripts. Here, we discover that giant DNA virus...

McCreery, Stubb et al. show that mechano-osmotic changes in the nucleus induce general transcriptional repression and prime chromatin for cell fate transitions by relieving repression of specific differentiation genes.

PDB-101: Training, Outreach, and Education portal of RCSB PDB

The obligate predatory bacterium Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus alternates between a motile attack phase and a growth phase inside another bacterium, during which it undergoes multiple rounds of DNA repli...

YouTube video by Stowers Institute for Medical Research

Genome function requires regulated genome motion. However, tools to directly observe this motion in vivo have been limited in coverage and resolution. Here we introduce an approach to tile mammalian c...

Meyer and colleagues refute the idea that, as aging can be tracked precisely by clocks, it must be driven by a biological program. They propose that imperfect maintenance and repair processes resultin...

Mechanical forces are extensively involved in pregnancy and parturition, but their precise roles and mechanisms remain poorly understood. Here, we identify mechanically activated ion channels PIEZO1 a...

The hexavalent vaccine – introduced into Senegal’s routine vaccination schedule in July – protects kids against six diseases with a single shot. That means fewer injections for babies, fewer clinic vi...