Jumping gene turned peppered moths the color of soot
Scientists track DNA changes behind famous example of natural selection from the Industrial Revolution
BLACK AND WHITE As soot settled onto trees in Britain during the Industrial Revolution, a black version of the peppered moth (right) started to overtake the mottled-wing form (left). Scientists have now found the mutation that caused the color shift in a gene called cortex.
Ilik Saccheri
Peppered moths and copycat butterflies owe their wing color-changing abilities to a single gene, two independent studies suggest.