A hurricane created a rare scientific opportunity: Scientists turned seven empty Bahamian islands into a living laboratory to watch lizard evolution unfold from the beginning

A hurricane cleared Bahamian islands, offering scientists a rare chance to observe evolution beginning anew. Researchers introduced fourteen brown anole lizards to seven islands, creating new founding populations. These populations initially differed due to chance founder effects, not environmental pressures. Natural selection favored shorter hindlimbs, but initial differences persisted over four years. This experiment showed how history and environment jointly shape evolutionary outcomes.