Natural Selection Can Actually Slow Evolution, Scientists Say : ScienceAlert

When you hear the term natural selection, you likely think of change, but new research suggests the mechanism can also preserve similarities between populations.

Biologists have a pretty solid grasp on the basic process of evolution. Genetic diversity in a population is the result of mutation, some of which create traits that help individuals thrive better in the present environment. Those traits have a good shot at being passed on, while characteristics that aren’t so useful tend not to be represented in future generations. This is natural selection.

Evolutionary biologists most often…