Why lethal mutations persist: Fruit fly study points to newly transferred jumping genes, not small DNA errors

Most lethal mutations in wild fruit flies are driven by newly transferred jumping genes, not small DNA errors, according to a new study from Duke University. The findings, published in PLOS Biology, challenge decades of assumptions in evolutionary genetics and may have implications for population health and conservation.

source https://phys.org/news/2026-03-lethal-mutations-persist-fruit-fly.html