✉news ScienceBiology first seen 16 h ago, last 30 min ago, peak #2
Neutrality Proposed as the Null Hypothesis of Evolution
Original: Neutrality as the null hypothesis of biological evolution
A Nature piece argues that neutrality should serve as the null hypothesis in evolutionary biology, meaning observed genetic and trait changes should be tested against a baseline of neutral drift before selection is invoked. The article revisits a long-running debate over how much of molecular evolution is driven by random change rather than adaptive pressure, and how researchers should frame hypotheses accordingly.
Why now: It reopens a foundational debate in evolutionary biology over the balance between neutral drift and natural selection.
Natureevolutionary biologyMotoo Kimura
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