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To: Nebullis
Technically put, natural selection (NS) acts on the topology of phenotype. The GA's are performing NS on the genotype. The phenotype determines the fitness landscape (there's your A) and the genotype-phenotype map determines B, not the genotype alone. With each new phenotypic change, the fitness landscape changes into a completely new space and thus A grows.

Yes, A grows. As does B. With some of the better AL programs, the environment is allowed to change. But A<=B still holds. Why? Thanks for the explination. It is quite interesting. But I still don't see it leading from A<=B to A>B. Can you give an example of an observed instance (fossiles arn't observed instances ;)?

-The Hajman-
190 posted on 12/26/2001 8:20:10 PM PST by Hajman
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To: Hajman
I still don't see it leading from A<=B to A>B.

It doesn't. We still have bacteria, for instance. Once an organism breaks through the fitness constraints into the next space, the equation is no longer A<=B but, instead, is A'<=B' or something else.

Can you give an example of an observed instance (fossiles arn't observed instances ;)?

There are numerous paralogous and homologous structures in extant species which provide examples.
You also see, I trust, that this largely explains the discontinuity between species.

191 posted on 12/26/2001 8:43:46 PM PST by Nebullis
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