In Tangle's original post where he quoted the date for its appearance in the late 1800s at the height of the Industrial Revolution.
I believe the quoted date was 1819+/- or so and not the
late 1800s. That puts the age of the gene somewhere during the transition 50 year period leading up to the Industrial Revolution. The gene seems to have preceded the time when factories were belching out smoke. The height of the period would have been much later. Wikipedia gives dates for the first citings of the moths that are consistent with the age of the mutation.
I understand that Tangle originated the idea that the date was coincidental with the height of the Industrial Revolution, but that does not really seem to be the case. Much less of a coincidence, but is it really that surprising? Absent the mutation, the moth might have have been wiped out, but that might only have made it one of the species that have been lost since industrialization.
I think it is also important to note that because the gene is dominant, it also results in prolonged survival of white moths because some members of the species will carry the recessive gene while still being dark. So there is no immediate, permanent loss of genetic diversity.
Edited by NoNukes, : No reason given.
Edited by NoNukes, : No reason given.
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