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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 31, 2026

Following the Dynamics of Structural Variants in Experimentally Evolved Populations

Following the Dynamics of Structural Variants in Experimentally Evolved Populations

Published on: February 3, 2023

Exaptation in human evolution: how to test adaptive vs exaptive evolutionary hypotheses.

Telmo Pievani¹, Emanuele Serrelli

¹University of Milan Bicocca, Piazza dell'Ateneo Nuovo, 1 20126 Milan, Italy. telmo.pievani@unimib.it

Journal of Anthropological Sciences = Rivista Di Antropologia : JASS

|July 16, 2011

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Exaptation, a concept for evolutionary traits, offers a richer scientific vocabulary than "adaptation." This study evaluates its adoption and application in human evolution research.

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Area of Science:

Evolutionary Biology
Palaeontology
Human Evolution

Background:

Introduced by Gould and Vrba, "exaptation" refines the understanding of evolutionary traits beyond default
adaptation.
It expands on functional co-optations from non-adaptive structures, revising the neo-Darwinian concept of
pre-adaptation.

Purpose of the Study:

To analyze the operationalization of exaptation in recent studies.
To identify empirical research directions for testing adaptive vs. exaptive hypotheses.
To evaluate the adoption and use of exaptation in human evolution research.

Main Methods:

Analysis of two recent studies for exaptation operationalization.
Identification of six empirical research directions.
Quantitative and qualitative evaluation of literature on exaptation in human evolution.

Main Results:

Six directions for empirical research to test evolutionary hypotheses were identified.
The study provides a quantitative and qualitative evaluation of exaptation's adoption in human evolution.
Epistemic conditions influencing the use of exaptation were discussed.

Conclusions:

Exaptation provides an "extended taxonomy of fitness," enhancing evolutionary studies.
The concept is valuable for present and future research in human evolution.
Addressing objections like "non-operationality" is key for wider adoption.