Scientists have uncovered evidence that evolution has relied on the same genetic "cheat sheet" for more than 120 million years, raising the possibility that life on Earth may be more predictable than once believed. An international group of researchers led by the University of York and the Wellcome Sanger Institute focused on butterflies and moths from South American rainforests. Although these species are only distantly related, many share strikingly similar wing color patterns that serve as warning signals to predators. This phenomenon is known as mimicry. Shared Genes Behind Butterfly and Moth Mimicry The researchers set out to identify which genes control these shared color patterns across seven distantly related species. Despite their evolutionary distance, the team discovered that both butterflies and moths repeatedly relied on the same two genes, ivory and optix, to produce nearly identical warning colors.…