Rules of evolution
For most people, rock-paper-scissors is a game used to settle disputes on the playground. For biologists, however, it is a powerful guide for understanding the key role mutation plays in the evolution of new — and sometimes successful — traits. Using mathematical models, Daniel Rosenbloom, a postdoctoral researcher in Harvard’s Program for Evolutionary Dynamics, and colleagues have provided evidence that the rock-paper-scissors dynamic can lead to higher mutation rates as organisms search for the next “winning” strategy. The study is described in a recent paper in The American Naturalist. “In a simple scenario, the argument is that it’s generally good to have your mutation rate be as low as possible, because if you’re adapted to an environment, and most mutations have either no effect or deleterious effects, there’s no evolutionary benefit to a higher mutation rate,” Rosenbloom said. “But when you add this component of cyclical competition, there’s never a ‘best’ trait...