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 Global Chaos: Is Snails-Pace Evolution to Blame?

By Shlomo Maital

       Evolution is an ongoing nonstop race against an ever-changing world.  But it appears to be too slow to be helpful lately.  Global chaos?  The pace of social and technological change outraces the ability of evolution to deal with it well.

     This is my conclusion from a new study * from the University of Michigan.

• The Neutral Theory of Molecular Evolution. Jianzi Zhang et al. Nature Ecology and Evolution.  2025.

    “For decades, many evolutionary biologists have believed that most genetic changes shaping genes and proteins are neutral. Under this view, mutations are usually neither helpful nor harmful, allowing them to spread quietly without being strongly favored or rejected by natural selection.    A new study from the University of Michigan challenges that long-standing assumption and suggests evolution may work very differently than once thought.

   “As species evolve, random genetic mutations arise. Some of these mutations become fixed, meaning they spread until every individual in a population carries the change. The Neutral Theory of Molecular Evolution argues that most mutations that reach this stage are neutral. Harmful mutations are quickly eliminated, while helpful ones are assumed to be extremely rare, explains evolutionary biologist Jianzhi Zhang.”

   “Zhang and his colleagues set out to test whether this idea holds up when examined more closely. Their results pointed to a major problem. The researchers found that beneficial mutations occur far more often than the Neutral Theory allows. At the same time, they observed that the overall rate at which mutations become fixed in populations is much lower than would be expected if so many helpful mutations were taking hold.”

          But beneficial mutations often don’t last!  Why? A mutation that provides an advantage in one setting may become harmful once conditions shift, the researchers note.

          There are lots of terrific ‘idea mutations’ emerging all over the world.  But they are not numerous enough, powerful enough, and full-blown enough, to help much with the global chaos we face.  The pace of change is outstripping the pace of evolutionary progress.

           Example:  Democracy is a social ‘mutation’.  Dates back to Greece, 2,500 years ago, but it has evolved nicely.  Ooops…capitalism, too, a mutation, generates billionaires. They buy political influence and push political systems to the autocratic right.  Harmful evolutionary mutation.  Solution?  Regulate, tax, etc.?  Too slow.

           What should be done?   Let’s help Nature.  Let’s foster creativity, and use artificial intelligence as a full collaborator to generate powerful mutative solutions to global chaos and global crises. 

           Evolution has created us humans and our intelligence.  Can we speed it up, to bail us out?   It’s worth a try!