Butterflies evolved 100 million years ago in North America

Butterflies first fluttered onto nan segment successful North America astir 100 cardinal years ago, according to a familial analysis. The findings person been utilized to make a elaborate butterfly family tree, giving scientists caller insights into butterflies’ evolutionary origins and really they dispersed crossed nan world.

“The family relationships and nan history of butterflies, surprisingly, is not very good known,” says Akito Kawahara astatine nan University of Florida.

Previous smaller-scale projects had attempted to pin down nan insects’ astir ancient ancestors, says Kawahara. There were besides hypotheses …