Corals are first animals seen to pass on mutations acquired as adults

By Michael Marshall

WaterFrame/Alamy

Corals have an evolutionary superpower. Adult corals can pass on mutations they have acquired during their lives to their offspring, overturning a long-standing belief that no animals can hand down such mutations – although most can’t.

“Juvenile corals inherited mutations that were acquired during the parents’ lifespan,” says Iliana Baums at Pennsylvania State University. “It has not been observed before in animals, but it has been observed in plants.”

Corals belong to one of the oldest animal groups. They are similar to plants in many ways, such as spending most of their lives …