Accidental Discovery: Unexpected Stability of Whole-Genome Duplication Reveals New Evolutionary Mechanism
Scientists at Georgia Tech unexpectedly discovered in a long-term evolution experiment that whole-genome duplication (WGD) in yeast not only occurs but can remain stable for thousands of generations. Published in *Nature*, this study, initially aimed at exploring the evolution of multicellularity, unexpectedly revealed the crucial role of WGD. The research found that WGD gave yeast a larger size and stronger multicellular cluster formation ability, allowing it to survive and thrive under selective pressure, ultimately becoming a key factor driving the evolution of multicellularity. This discovery challenges the traditional understanding of WGD's instability and provides a new perspective on the role of genome duplication in evolution, highlighting the importance of long-term evolution experiments in exploring the mysteries of life.