Evolutionarily significant biological phenomena

thumb|upright=2|Stages in the origin of life process range from the well understood, such as the planetary habitability|habitable Earth and the abiotic synthesis of simple molecules, to the largely unknown, like the derivation of the [[last universal common ancestor (LUCA) with its complex molecular functionalities.]]

A protocell (or protobiont) is a self-organized, membrane-bound or membraneless compartment that concentrates biomolecules, proposed as a rudimentary precursor to cells during the origin of life. A central question in evolution is how simple protocells first arose and how their progeny could diversify, thus enabling the accumulation of novel biological emergences over time (i.e. biological evolution). Although a functional protocell has not yet been achieved in a laboratory setting, the goal to understand the process appears well within reach.

theoretical conditions under which life on earth might have begun

thumb|right|Biston betularia caterpillars on birch (left) and willow (right), demonstrating a color polyphenism. A polyphenic trait is a trait for which multiple, discrete phenotypes can arise from a single genotype as a result of differing environmental conditions. It is therefore a special case of phenotypic plasticity.

resistance or diminished response of a neoplasm to an antineoplastic agent

thumb|275px|Horses can be considered cursorial grazers. A cursorial organism is one that is adapted specifically to run. An animal can be considered cursorial if it has the ability to run fast (e.g. cheetah) or if it can keep a constant speed for a long distance (high endurance). "Cursorial" is often used to categorize a certain locomotor mode, which is helpful for biologists who examine behaviors of different animals and the way they move in their environment. Cursorial adaptations can be identified by morphological characteristics (e.g. loss of lateral digits as in ungulate species), physiol

the ability of elements that are structurally different to perform the same function or yield the same output