I've had this problem for several versions now, and always assumed it was on the list to be fixed. But it still plagues me, so maybe it's just on my end. I always play with custom races, and often I like to switch between different ones to try different tactics. When I first started playing, I noticed that races I'd played several times were getting an increasing logistics bonus added to their stats. I figured this was a feature, and was indeed pleased to see my races getting "experience" of a sort.
But it's gotten worse and worse, and I've begun to doubt it was ever on purpose. Now, my old races come up with random stat bonuses out of nowhere, and even when I try to start a new race with the "clear" button in the lower right, this supposedly empty race has tons of abilities. Going to the ability page and hitting the "Reset" button merely selects a different random selection of abilities. Spending my 10 points doesn't seem to get rid of the abilities, either; my only way to get this to work normally is to go to the first tab, see what abilities are there that I didn't purchase, then go to the purchase tab and select and deselect each of those options in turn.
It's very frustrating, particularly since it seems like it would be an easy way for someone to cheat (these are Metaverse games I'm trying to start).