7.8 Continuing Evolution

Evolution is happening now

Evolution is not just in the past — it is ongoing. As environments change, populations continue to evolve. We can even observe it directly, especially in organisms with short generation times like bacteria and insects.

Real-time examples

Antibiotic resistance in bacteria and pesticide resistance in insects both spread because resistant individuals survive and reproduce. Emerging diseases evolve to evade immunity and drugs. Ongoing evolution requires continued genetic variation for selection to act on.

Key terms

Continuing evolution

Evolution is an ongoing process still happening today.

Antibiotic resistance

Resistant bacteria survive and reproduce, spreading resistance — evolution in action.

Pesticide resistance

Insects evolve resistance when pesticides select for surviving individuals.

Short generation time

Lets populations (like bacteria) evolve rapidly and observably.

Ongoing variation

Continued genetic variation is needed for selection to keep acting.

Try an AP-style question

HIV can evolve resistance to a single antiviral drug within a patient. Why are combinations of drugs used?

1. Combinations make the virus reproduce faster
2. A virus would need several mutations at once to resist all drugs
3. One drug makes the others work as vaccines
4. Combinations stop the virus from mutating at all