India, Oct. 12 -- Some colourful lizards and a mathematical formula from the finance sector have been used to build a new framework to model evolution.
Developed byDr Simone Blombergfrom The University of Queensland'sSchool of the Environment, it is the first mathematical model to combine short-term natural selection (microevolution) with the way species evolve over millions of years (macroevolution).
"There has been a big debate about whether microevolution can explain all of macroevolution," Dr Blomberg said.
"We can now resolve the debate with a model that incorporates both, while tracking the way traits within a species change together over time.
"The model will allow researchers to study how traits and their genetic relationships e...