I know we’ve discussed the huge number of known beneficial mutations (such as the beautiful buttocks, the stronger Italian hearts, the ability to digest Nylon, the vigorous algae, and on and on), but I saw an article in today’s paper about literally thousands of beneficial mutations, and thought it might be worthy of discussion.
Useful Mutants, Bred With Radiation - The New York Times
Basically, they use radiation to cause mutations to happen at a much faster than normal rate, then use radical selection - going through hundreds of the offspring and finding the few beneficial mutants. It’s like the normal evolutionary process on warp speed!
From the article:
“That’s what nature does,” Dr. Lagoda said. The random results of the dice, he explained, illustrate how spontaneous mutations create the genetic diversity that drives evolution and selective breeding.
He rolled the dice again. This time, he was mimicking what he and his colleagues have been doing quietly around the globe for more than a half-century ” using radiation to scramble the genetic material in crops, a process that has produced valuable mutants like red grapefruit, disease-resistant cocoa and premium barley for Scotch whiskey.
Biological (?!) evolution, I’d think.
-Equinox
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