A new study has found that evolution is not as unpredictable as previously thought, which could allow scientists to explore which genes could be useful to tackle real-world issues such as antibiotic resistance, disease, and climate change.

In effect, the researchers discovered an invisible ecosystem where genes can cooperate or can be in conflict with one another.

“These interactions between genes make aspects of evolution somewhat predictable and furthermore, we now have a tool that allows us to make those predictions,” adds Dr. Domingo-Sananes.

  • jwtEnglish
    10·
    1 year ago

    I was under the impression that the ‘natural selection’ part of evolution already made its non-randomness well understood. maybe this discovery is more about the mutation part of evolution?

  • The_Walkening [none/use name]@hexbear.netEnglish
    2·
    1 year ago

    I feel like the implications for bioengineering bacteria is pretty interesting - if we inoculate people/animals with benign, antibiotic-vulnerable strains of bacteria that are staged in such a way to become dominant in the wider species of a given bacteria, can’t we eliminate antibiotic resistance on a wide scale?