Groundbreaking Study Uncovers First Evidence of Long-Term Directionality in the Origination of Human Mutation, Fundamentally Challenging Neo-Darwinism; New Results Have Potential to Affect Fundamental Understanding of Evolution

A new study by a team of researchers from Israel and Ghana has brought the first evidence of nonrandom mutation in human genes, challenging a core assumption at the heart of evolutionary theory by showing a long-term directional mutational response to environmental pressure. Using a novel method, researchers led by Professor Adi Livnat from the University of Haifa showed that the rate of generation of the HbS mutation, which protects against malaria, is higher in people from Africa, where malaria is endemic, than in people from Europe, where it is not.