A recent study overturns conventional evolution theory, suggesting the accumulation of genetic changes isn’t just determined by natural selection. The study by University of Chicago researchers shows the percentage of mutations accepted in evolution is also strongly swayed by the speed at which new mutations arrive at a gene: the faster the speed of new mutations, the greater the percentage of those mutations accepted. “We’ve discovered a striking phenomenon that challenges a paradigm of molecular evolution that has been around for several decades,” said lead author Bruce Lahn, an assistant professor of genetics at the University of Chicago and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator. “As such, it may cause a significant shift in the field.” For more than three decades, molecular evolutionists have believed no matter how many genetic mutations appear a specific gene, whether those mutations become fixed in the species is determined primarily by natural selection. The new study shows the speed at which these new mutations arrive also affects whether the mutations become fixed. The researchers report their findings in the July issue of the journal Trends in Genetics, available online. © Copyright 2005 by United Press International

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