Darwin’s Islands Still Evolving: Giant Daisies Rewrite the Rules of Evolution

A multinational team sequenced genomes from all known Galápagos Scalesia species, the giant daisies Darwin studied.

They found traits like lobed leaves evolved multiple times independently through different genetic paths.

The findings show parallel evolution in the islands and reveal how similar adaptations can emerge more than once.

Published in Nature Communications, the study adds fresh evidence of rapid diversification and ongoing evolution.