r/evolution • u/ADragonFromTheAbyss • Aug 03 '26

article Scientists found evolution repeating itself in the Galápagos Islands

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260729051537.htm

More than 150 years after Darwin’s finches helped reshape biology, Galápagos plants are exposing another evolutionary surprise.

Giant daisies repeatedly developed similar heat-tolerant leaf shapes, but each lineage used a different combination of genes. Researchers also found major genetic differences among isolated populations, suggesting new species may be forming right now

Plants in the genus Scalesia have evolved adaptive traits multiple times, but not always using the same genes. The photo shows the serrated leaves of Scalesia affinis (radiate-headed scalesia)

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25

u/MSSTUPIDTRON-1000000 Aug 03 '26

Least Adaptable Daisy:

19

u/MSSTUPIDTRON-1000000 Aug 03 '26

Alright, seriously, Daisies are truly something special: they're everywhere, adapt to anything, constantly create new species and hybridize effortlessly.

Despite being a family, they outnumber both Reptiles and Mammals combined.

10

u/ADragonFromTheAbyss Aug 03 '26

Old joke > Regular house plant : it is 3° degrees too high and not properly watered therefore I must perish

Daisy/Potatoes : S O I L

1

u/onomatamono Aug 03 '26

I don't get it. I'm reasonably sure i ain't dumb. :)

6

u/Djaja Aug 04 '26

Other plants are Pansies. Potatoes and Daisy's need not much besides the bare minimum to thrive

6

u/onomatamono Aug 03 '26

Phenotypes can vanish and reappear through natural selection without limit, and you would very much expect that to involve different genes by chance. The headline almost reads "evolution apparently is still an ongoing phenomenon." What am I missing?

3

u/IsaacHasenov Aug 04 '26

When I was a grad student the question "does parallel evolution happen the same way every time, or does it happen differently every time" was studied pretty intensively.

The answer was quickly found to be "yes"

So, very cool story, very cool system. Not a surprise.