Insect color variation is typically driven by predator avoidance, as seen in the industrial melanism of British peppered moths. A study in National Science Review explores melanism in tea geometrids in Chinese tea gardens, where color variation has minimal impact on predation. The study reveals that these geometrids across continents share convergent melanism loci. It also suggests that a reproductive disadvantage may help maintain the low proportion of melanic tea geometrids in the wild.

Scientists from the National University of Singapore (NUS) have discovered a simple DNA “switch” that helps tropical butterflies adjust the size of their wing eyespots in response to seasonal temperatures, shedding light on the evolution of environmental sensitivity. The findings could inform future efforts to understand and potentially bolster adaptation in a changing climate.

The arrival of agriculture coincided with a sharp rise in a gene variant that protected against the virus that causes winter vomiting, researchers from Karolinska Institutet and Linköping University report after analysing DNA from over 4,300 prehistoric individuals and cultivating ”mini guts”.