One gene, many mutations: Key that controls coat color in mice evolved nine times
Thursday, March 14, 2013 - 18:00
in Biology & Nature
Scientists have shown that changes in coat color in mice are the result not of a single mutation, but many separate mutations, all within a single gene. The results start to answer one of the fundamental questions about evolution: does evolution proceed by huge leaps -- single mutations that result in dramatic change in an organism -- or is it the result of many smaller changes that accumulate over time?