During the Industrial Revolution, scientists observed a rapid change in the coloration of peppered moths in Manchester, England. This change in the mid- to late 1800s was an example of “industrial melanism,” a term used to describe a population’s adaptation to pollution. Before the Industrial Revolution, trees in the Manchester area had lichens that made their trunks a light grayish-green color, and most peppered moths were light-colored with tiny dark spots. Over time, the boom in factories and
