Duplications of individual genes,   chromosomal segments, or entire genomes have long been thought to be a   primary source of material for the origin of evolutionary novelties, including   new gene functions and expression patterns (1–3). However, it is unclear how duplicate   genes successfully navigate an evolutionary trajectory from an initial state   of complete redundancy, wherein one copy is likely to be expendable, to a   stable situation in which both copies are maintained by natural selection.   Nor is it clear how often these events occur.

长期以来，单个基因、染色体片段或整个基因组的重复被认为是新事物进化起源的主要物质来源，包括新的基因功能和表达模式（1-3）。然而，尚不清楚复制基因是如何成功地从一个完全冗余的初始状态（其中一个拷贝极有可能会消失）过渡到一个稳定的状态（两个拷贝都由自然选择维持）。也不清楚这些事件发生的频率。