‘Evolution is not always random’: Study finds same gene reused for 120 million years

The new study challenges the long-held view of evolution as a purely random or chaotic process, suggesting instead that nature often works from pre-existing "blueprints" to solve survival challenges.

According to researchers from the University of York and the Wellcome Sanger Institute, the evolution process does not always be unpredictable, in fact, it also relies on the same genetic “cheat sheet.”

The team revealed that distantly related butterflies and moths have used the same two genes, ivory and optix, to develop identical warning colour patterns for over 120 million years, known as mimicry.

By studying species in South American rainforests, researchers found that evolution consistently flips the same genetic "switches" to produce toxic-looking wing patterns.

This discovery of convergent evolution suggests that biological adaptation may be far more predictable than previously imagined.

Professor Kanchon Dasmahapatra from the University of York's Department of Biology explained, "Convergent evolution, where many unrelated species independently evolve the same trait, is common across the tree of life. But we rarely have the opportunity to investigate the genetic basis of this phenomenon.”

These findings published in the journal PLoS Biology suggest that evolution can be surprisingly predictable. And this predictability is not new, even though butterflies and moths have been using “these evolution-based genetic tricks to achieve similar color patterns since the age of dinosaurs.”

If evolution follows established routes, scientists may eventually be able to predict how certain species will adapt to modern threats like climate change or shifting environments.