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Early usage and meaning of evolvability
Brian I Crother1, Christopher M Murray2
1Department of Biology Southeastern Louisiana University Hammond Louisiana.
Ecology and Evolution
|April 25, 2019
Summary
Evolvability, a key concept in biology and machine learning, was first defined in 1931, predating its popularization. Its meaning evolved from the simple "ability to evolve" to encompass the quality and predictability of evolution.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary Biology
- Machine Learning Software Architecture
Background:
- The concept of evolvability is widely used in evolutionary biology and machine learning.
- The term "evolvability" is often attributed to Richard Dawkins in 1988.
- However, earlier uses of the term in biological contexts date back to 1931.
Purpose of the Study:
- To trace the earliest uses and definitions of evolvability in biological frameworks up to 1989.
- To analyze the semantic shifts in the definition of evolvability over time.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of early biological texts.
- Analysis of definitions and contextual usage of "evolvability" up to 1989.
Main Results:
- The earliest documented use of "evolvability" in a biological context was by John A. Thomson in 1931.
- Early definitions focused on the inherent "ability to evolve" as a characteristic of life.
- Between 1931 and 1989, the definition evolved to include factors like necessary variation, predictability, rate, and quality of evolution.
Conclusions:
- The popularization of "evolvability" in 1988 by Dawkins overlooks its earlier origins and evolving definitions.
- The meaning of evolvability has significantly shifted from a basic characteristic of life to a more nuanced concept involving the mechanisms and outcomes of evolution.
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