Evolution has reused the same genes for 120 million years, study shows

Scientists have shown that evolution has been using the same genetic "cheat sheet" for over 120 million years, suggesting that life on Earth may be more predictable than first imagined. The international team, led by scientists at the University of York and the Wellcome Sanger Institute, studied several distantly related South American rainforest butterfly and moth species that sport similar wing color patterns that warn away predators, a phenomenon known as mimicry.