Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Exon Recombination02:32

Exon Recombination

The evolution of new genes is critical for speciation. Exon recombination, also known as exon shuffling or domain shuffling, is an important means of new gene formation. It is observed across vertebrates, invertebrates, and in some plants such as potatoes and sunflowers. During exon recombination, exons from the same or different genes recombine and produce new exon-intron combinations, which might evolve into new genes. 
Exon shuffling follows “splice frame rules.” Each exon has three reading...
Exocytosis00:50

Exocytosis

Exocytosis is a process that releases molecules outside the cell. Like other bulk transport mechanisms, exocytosis requires energy.
Exocytosis is the opposite of endocytosis, which brings molecules inside the cell. Sometimes, the released materials are signaling molecules. For example, neurons typically use exocytosis to release neurotransmitters. Cells also use exocytosis to insert proteins such as ion channels into their cell membranes, secrete proteins for use in the extracellular matrix, or...
Exocytosis00:51

Exocytosis

Exocytosis is used to release material from cells. Like other bulk transport mechanisms, exocytosis requires energy.
Evolution of New Traits in Microbes01:24

Evolution of New Traits in Microbes

Microorganisms evolve rapidly due to their large population sizes and short generation times, often exhibiting measurable changes within days under laboratory conditions. Natural selection acts on standing genetic variation, enabling the retention and amplification of beneficial traits that confer fitness advantages in changing environments.Adaptive Pigment Regulation in RhodobacterIn Rhodobacter, a genus of purple non-sulfur bacteria, light-harvesting pigments such as bacteriochlorophyll and...
Limits to Natural Selection01:38

Limits to Natural Selection

Organisms that are well-adapted to their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce. However, natural selection does not lead to perfectly adapted organisms. Several factors constrain natural selection.
Transduction01:16

Transduction

Among the three main modes of HGT—transformation, conjugation, and transduction—transduction is unique in that it is mediated by bacteriophages, or bacterial viruses.Transduction occurs in two ways. Generalized transduction occurs during the lytic cycle of a bacteriophage infection. In this process, bacteriophages infect bacterial cells, replicate within them, and ultimately cause cell lysis, releasing newly assembled virions. Occasionally, random fragments of the bacterial genome are...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Genomic history of early dogs in Europe.

Nature·2026
Same author

Dogs were widely distributed across western Eurasia during the Palaeolithic.

Nature·2026
Same author

Assessment of tick populations associated with capybaras in natural reserves and human-modified environments with or without invasive plants in the state of São Paulo, Brazil.

Experimental & applied acarology·2026
Same author

Genomic and morphometric evidence for Austronesian-mediated pig translocation in the Pacific.

Science (New York, N.Y.)·2026
Same author

Reply to Kohl: Moving beyond the 19th-century view of domestication.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2025
Same author

The late arrival of domestic cats in China via the Silk Road after 3,500 years of human-leopard cat commensalism.

Cell genomics·2025
Same journal

The host-microbiome dimension of ecological regime shifts.

Trends in ecology & evolution·2026
Same journal

The emerging field of wild animal welfare science.

Trends in ecology & evolution·2026
Same journal

Integrating nutritional mutualists into the evolution of defense.

Trends in ecology & evolution·2026
Same journal

Formation of three great Asian plateaus, climate change, and biodiversity: (Trends Ecol. Evol. 40, 970-982; 2025).

Trends in ecology & evolution·2026
Same journal

Digital twins as a tool for ecosystem research.

Trends in ecology & evolution·2026
Same journal

Constraint and convergence in the evolution of vertebrate sound production.

Trends in ecology & evolution·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 10, 2026

Quantitative Approaches for Scoring in vivo Neuronal Aggregate and Organelle Extrusion in Large Exopher Vesicles in C. elegans
09:06

Quantitative Approaches for Scoring in vivo Neuronal Aggregate and Organelle Extrusion in Large Exopher Vesicles in C. elegans

Published on: September 18, 2020

Exapting exaptation.

Greger Larson1, Philip A Stephens, Jamshid J Tehrani

  • 1Durham Evolution and Ancient DNA, Department of Archaeology, Durham University, South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK. greger.larson@durham.ac.uk

Trends in Ecology & Evolution
|June 15, 2013
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Exaptation, a concept for trait origins, is more successful in technology than biology. A revised definition is proposed for broader application in genetic and cultural evolution.

More Related Videos

Adaptation at the Extremes of Life: Experimental Evolution with the Extremophile Archaeon Sulfolobus acidocaldarius
08:11

Adaptation at the Extremes of Life: Experimental Evolution with the Extremophile Archaeon Sulfolobus acidocaldarius

Published on: June 14, 2024

Blastomere Explants to Test for Cell Fate Commitment During Embryonic Development
14:08

Blastomere Explants to Test for Cell Fate Commitment During Embryonic Development

Published on: January 26, 2013

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 10, 2026

Quantitative Approaches for Scoring in vivo Neuronal Aggregate and Organelle Extrusion in Large Exopher Vesicles in C. elegans
09:06

Quantitative Approaches for Scoring in vivo Neuronal Aggregate and Organelle Extrusion in Large Exopher Vesicles in C. elegans

Published on: September 18, 2020

Adaptation at the Extremes of Life: Experimental Evolution with the Extremophile Archaeon Sulfolobus acidocaldarius
08:11

Adaptation at the Extremes of Life: Experimental Evolution with the Extremophile Archaeon Sulfolobus acidocaldarius

Published on: June 14, 2024

Blastomere Explants to Test for Cell Fate Commitment During Embryonic Development
14:08

Blastomere Explants to Test for Cell Fate Commitment During Embryonic Development

Published on: January 26, 2013

Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary biology
  • History of science
  • Technology studies

Background:

  • The concept of exaptation was introduced as an alternative to adaptation for explaining the evolutionary origins of biological traits.
  • Adaptation and exaptation are key concepts in evolutionary theory, but their application and success differ across domains.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To analyze why exaptation has been more widely and successfully applied in technological contexts compared to biological ones.
  • To propose a revised, more inclusive definition of exaptation that is applicable to both biological and technological evolution, as well as cultural evolution.

Main Methods:

  • Comparative analysis of exaptation's application in biological and technological fields.
  • Conceptual review and redefinition of exaptation based on its functional roles in different evolutionary processes.

Main Results:

  • Exaptation has found greater traction and utility in explaining the development of technologies than biological traits.
  • The current understanding and definition of exaptation may limit its applicability in biological and cultural evolution.

Conclusions:

  • A refined definition of exaptation is necessary to fully capture its role in both natural and artificial selection processes.
  • The proposed revised definition aims to unify the understanding of exaptation across genetic, cultural, and technological evolution.