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Resolve Neutral vs. Adaptive Evolution

Much genetic change appears neutral, yet distinguishing neutral from adaptive evolution remains difficult, affecting our understanding of evolutionary processes. This challenge requires developing methods to accurately identify adaptive evolution and quantify its relative importance. Barriers include statistical power limitations, complex selection patterns, population history effects, and molecular mechanism identification. Without resolving neutral vs. adaptive evolution, evolutionary inferences will be inaccurate, conservation priorities will be misguided, and our understanding of evolution's driving forces will remain unclear. Success could accurately identify adaptive evolution, improve conservation strategies, understand evolution's mechanisms, and guide evolutionary applications while advancing population genetics and molecular evolution.

Science, Biology, Evolution