Surveying the genetic battlefield to uncover the rules of rapid evolution

edited by Sadie Harley , reviewed by Robert Egan

This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:

Add to Preferred Sources HHMI investigator Harmit Malik is uncovering the evolutionary rules that guide genetic conflicts—competitions between different entities trying to maximize their success at the expense of another. Credit: Robert Hood The Malik Lab thrives on competition. But for HHMI investigator Harmit Malik and his team at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, it's the genomes—not the people—that are in conflict. The lab studies rapid evolution—the genetic changes that happen in a species over a few generations rather than thousands of years. These fast changes are often fueled by genetic conflicts—competitions between different entities trying to maximize their success at the expense of another.