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Moth turns from black to white as Britain's polluted skies change colour

The Peppered moth, which changed its colour from white to black in areas of Britain with heavy pollution, is now reverting back to its original appearance. The moth was white with small black speckles but over time it evolved to being almost black in parts of the UK because of heavy industrial pollution. The change made it less obvious to predators against backgrounds of grime and soot. Having declined by more than two thirds compared to 40 years ago, it is regarded as a classic example of natural selection and has consequently become known as "Darwin's moth." Now in post-industrial Britain, 200 years after Darwin's birth, the moth is changing back to its original white colour. Scientists at Butterfly Conservation, based in Dorset, are now appealing to the public for help in finding out how widespread this change has become. As part of Garden Moths Count 2009 they want people to search their gardens for the moth and log their sightings....