Butterfly and moth genomes mostly unchanged despite 250 million years of evolution

London, UK (SPX) Feb 22, 2024

The most extensive analysis of its kind reveals how butterfly and moth chromosomes have remained largely unchanged since their last common ancestor over 250 million years ago. This stability exists despite the incredible diversity seen today in wing patterns, sizes, and caterpillar forms across over 160,000 species globally. Researchers from the Wellcome Sanger Institute and their collabor