Scientists say evolution may work differently than we thought

A major research study is challenging one of evolution’s most influential ideas: that most genetic changes that become permanent are essentially neutral. Researchers at the University of Michigan found that beneficial mutations are actually far more common than scientists have long assumed. The puzzle is that these advantageous mutations rarely spread through entire populations. Their answer? Nature keeps changing the rules. A University of Michigan study challenges that picture. Led by evolutionary biologist Jianzhi Zhang, the research suggests that helpful mutations may be far more common than long standing theory predicts. But there is a catch. Many of those useful mu... [7691 chars]