Evolution is only even *possible* because there's a certain baseline level of diversity in alleles made possible by ongoing random mutations that stick around for long periods of time
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If a "useless" trait that increased the chance of surviving a plague gets ruthlessly weeded out before the plague exists, then when the plague does come it's not there and the whole population just dies
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The time scale of random mutation, especially in a slow-breeding species like humans, is much, much longer than the time scale of the environmental changes that we "evolve in response to" It's the idea of actively "responding" to the environment that's the biggest wrong thing
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There's apparently a story of someone gene-editing mice in a way that the children of any males possessing this added gene always turn out male and carry it themselves. In short order, the gene covers 100% of the breeding population. And in the next generation, goes extinct
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Or, to use an example more internet dwellers know, the Gerudo from Zelda. This demographic problem forces the Hylians to segregate them in the desert, because if they were integrated, there'd soon be only Gerudo. It's a really dark bit of worldbuilding for a kid's game.
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You also can get big pools of negative traits that end up being useful later assuming that those negative traits are closely associated with genes that are important or essential for survival. That kind of thing can stay in the gene pool Even if expected otherwise.
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And that's in fairly simple species like humans. If you want some weird genetic stuff go look at corn sex
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