PMID: 6410634Jan 1, 1983Paper

Self-improvement in a complex cybernetic system and its implications for biology

Acta Biotheoretica
A Gecow, A Hoffman

Abstract

It is commonly accepted by those who consider macroevolution as a process decoupled from microevolution that its apparent jerkiness (and, hence, incompatibility with principles of population genetics) results from the structural complexity of epigenetic systems, since all complex cybernetic systems are expected to behave discontinuously. To analyse the validity of this assumption, the process of self-improvement has been analysed in a complex cybernetic system by means of computer simulations. It turns out that the investigated system tends to develop by accumulation of as small structural changes as possible, while larger changes are likely to result in the collapse of the system rather than in its persistence or improvement. This implies that cybernetic considerations alone cannot justify the claim that the very nature of epigenetic systems induces evolution by discrete steps rather than by gradual accumulation of small changes.

References

Jun 21, 1979·Journal of Theoretical Biology·M W Ho, P T Saunders
Nov 30, 1976·Gastrointestinal Radiology·A F Govoni
Sep 1, 1974·The Quarterly Review of Biology·L B Slobodkin, A Rapoport
May 1, 1974·Experimental Cell Research·H Lovtrup-ReinS Lovtrup

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