Evolution May Be Happening Up to 4 Times Faster Than We Thought, Massive Study Finds

The analysis of genetic variation suggests that Darwinian evolution could be happening up to four times faster than previously thought.

The faster the evolution of a species, the more genetic differences there are. The team behind this latest study calls it the fuel of evolution, and they looked at data on 19 different wild animal groups around the world.

We may have to adjust our expectations for how quickly animals evolve because the data analysis shows that the raw material for evolution is more abundant.

The method gives us a way to measure the potential speed of evolution in response to natural selection.

Being able to see so much potential change came as a surprise to the team.

Superb fairy-wrens, spotted hyenas, song sparrows, and red deer are among the wild animals studied. It is the first time that the speed of evolution has been assessed on a large scale.

The longest field study was 63 years, while the shortest was 11 years. There were 2.6 million hours of field data combined with genetic information on each animal.

The team quantified how much species change was caused by genetics and natural selection. Evolution can happen in a few years, even though Charles Darwin thought it was a very slow process.

Prior to the industrial revolution in the UK, the peppered moths were mostly white.

The populations in England quickly became dominated by black moths because of genetic differences.

This is the first study of its type and the researchers emphasize there is not yet enough evidence to show species are evolving faster than in the past. There is more of this fuel of evolution than we thought.

Knowing more about how quickly animals can adapt will be helpful in modeling which species will be able to survive and which will not.

The concern is that as shifts in the global climate continue to accelerate, species won't be able to adapt in time. Understanding how quickly evolution is taking place is going to be important.

This research shows that evolution can be seen as a process which allows species to persist in response to environmental change.

We can say that evolution is a much more significant driver than we had thought.

The research has been published.