Neofunctionalization

Neofunctionalization means that something that used to do one job, starts doing a new job as well. Imagine if your toy car, which used to only go forward and backward, suddenly started making noise like a fire truck, and had lights to flash like an ambulance. That toy car would be neofunctionalized!

In biology, neofunctionalization is like when a gene or protein, which used to only do one thing in the body, starts doing a new thing too. Imagine if your mouth suddenly started smelling things like your nose does, even though it was only supposed to taste things before. That would be neofunctionalization happening in your body too!

This can happen when a gene or protein evolves to take on new tasks and responsibilities in response to changing environmental conditions. Sometimes, these neofunctionalizations can be really helpful for survival!