In what’s sure to be called some sort of god-given miracle by creationists, scientists have discovered that a group of butterflies in Samoa who were on the verge of extinction mutated to preserve their species.

In 2001, male Hypolimnas bolina butterflies on the Samoan islands of Savaii and Upolu comprised a mere 1 percent of the total population. The butterflies known commonly as Blue Moon or Great Eggfly were under attack by the Wolbachia bacteria, a parasite passed down through the female that kills off male butterflies before they hatch.

Last year, however the balance of male to female butterflies was equalizing, thanks to a mutation that suppressed the bacteria. This is one of the fastest observed mutations/evolutions ever recorded in a species. Most evolutions take place over a hundred years or more, but when extinction is on the line, apparently things can happen far more rapidly.

Researchers aren’t sure if the mutation happened by chance, or if it was introduced by migratory Southeast Asian butterflies in which the mutation existed.

What is clear, though is the repopulation of male butterflies illustrates rapid natural selection. Score 1 for science.