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A speed limit for evolution

R P Worden1

  • 1Logica UK Ltd, Cambridge, UK.

Journal of Theoretical Biology
|September 7, 1995
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Evolutionary speed is limited by expressed genetic information, constraining phenotypic changes like brain evolution. This suggests significant differences between human and chimpanzee brains are unlikely due to genetic information alone.

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Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary biology
  • Genetics
  • Neuroscience

Background:

  • The rate of evolutionary change is a fundamental question in biology.
  • Phenotypic complexity, particularly in the brain, suggests substantial genetic underpinnings.
  • Understanding the limits of genetic information evolution is crucial for explaining species differences.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To derive an upper bound on the rate of increase in expressed genetic information within a species.
  • To explore the implications of this evolutionary speed limit for cognitive evolution and brain architecture.

Main Methods:

  • Theoretical derivation of an evolutionary speed limit based on selection pressure and expressed genetic information.
  • Application of the derived bounds to estimate genetic differences in brain evolution between species.

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Main Results:

  • An upper bound on the rate of increase in expressed genetic information is established, typically a fraction of a bit per generation.
  • Total expressed genetic information increase is limited to a few bits per generation for a species.
  • The human brain is estimated to differ from the chimpanzee brain by at most 5 kilobytes of genetic design information, insufficient for a Language Acquisition Device without prior primate symbolic cognition.

Conclusions:

  • Cognitive evolution is constrained by the evolutionary speed limit of genetic information.
  • Simple, modular brain architectures are favored over complex ones in changing environments.
  • Pure species selection is unlikely to be a major driver of evolutionary change.