"Scientists Reveal How Natural Selection May Decelerate Evolutionary Processes"
Scientists have discovered that natural selection, typically known for driving evolutionary change, can also act to maintain similarities between populations, potentially slowing down evolution. The study, led by evolutionary biologist Jeff Conner, used wild radish plants to demonstrate that natural selection is preserving a trait in the species—specifically, the length difference between stamens—over millions of years. This finding challenges the traditional view that natural selection only promotes diversity and suggests that it can also enforce stability in certain traits, despite the presence of genetic variation that could allow for change. The research, which has implications for our understanding of evolutionary processes, has been published in the journal New Phytologist.