Articles on Genetic drift

Displaying all articles

A Buddhist monk in Hong Kong releases fish and chants prayers during a ceremony to free the spirits of tsunami victims. Samantha Sin/AFP via Getty Images

War, politics and religion shape wildlife evolution in cities

Humans change the urban landscape with religious, cultural and political activities, which in turn can influence the evolution of urban animals and plants.
Tick tock, tick tock… You can’t hide from the molecular clock. www.shutterstock.com

Explainer: what is the molecular clock?

The molecular clock is helping us deepen our knowledge of evolution and completing the tree of life. But how does it actually work?
Viral mutation, or ‘genetic drift’, could impact the viability of some drugs being developed to combat Ebola. NIAID/Flickr

Could Ebola mutate faster than we can develop treatments?

Scientists around the world are trying to develop effective treatments for Ebola infection. But a process of viral mutation, known as “genetic drift”, could potentially compromise their efforts.

Top contributors