I would encourage you to read this piece below. Mutations are still random, but the cells weaken the machinery they use to remove mutations when they divide under stress, causing the overall mutation rate to go up. So the cell is in effect, throwing more dice throws in the hope of hitting a jackpot before going extinct. Also by pure mathematics it can be shown that in an evolutionary landscape that is non-optimal, a greater fraction of random mutations will be beneficial than if the cell is in an environment where its existing genes are very optimal.Thanks and I would agree there seems to be pressure that can cause rapid evolutions.
Now how can that be unless there was something in our DNA that responds to a dramatic pressure to speed up the process?
That then conflicts with the idea that evolution is random and a result of selection and mutations and would be front loaded with a plan to evolve under certain stressors.
https://www.quantamagazine.org/20140115-under-pressure-does-evolution-evolve/
"She and Foster independently spent the next few years hammering away at the molecular mechanism underlying the change in mutation frequency in E. coli. Under normal conditions, the bacteria employ an enzyme that carefully copies DNA. But Rosenberg and Foster found that when bacteria are under stress, amistake-prone enzyme takes over, bumping up the frequency of mutations."
This is not surprising after all. Depending on conditions, lots of species can decide how often to divide, whether to reproduce sexually or clonally or whether to have more males or more females. Each of these also have an impact on the rates of mutation per generation. Since mutations are the engine of both creation (beneficial traits) and destruction (harmful traits), it would be a falsification of natural selection if genes did not evolve that tried to gain control of the process itself and subvert it to the benefit of the living organism.