Mutations are the ultimate fuel for evolution, but most mutations have a negative effect on fitness. It has been widely accepted that these deleterious fitness effects are, on average, magnified in stressful environments. Recent results suggest that the effects of deleterious mutations can, instead, sometimes be ameliorated in stressful environments.

Introduction to Environmental Stress Cracking and ESCR Over the past decade, high-density polyethylene (HDPE) materials have improved significantly and now meet more stringent performance standards; some performance evaluation tests that once took only days to run now take months with today’s resins. One such performance criteria is Environmental Stress Crack Resistance (ESCR). Because standard...

Living systems encounter a variety of stresses during their continuous interaction with environment. Environmentally-induced stresses frequently activate the endogenous production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), most of which are generated as side products of tissue respiration. Hence, constant exposure to stressors may enhance ROS-mediated oxidative damage. Increased number of agricultural a...