The Evolutionary Dynamics of Digital and Nucleotide Codes: A Mutation Protection Perspective

摘要

Both digital codes in computers and nucleotide codes in cells are protected against mutations. Here we explorehow mutation protection affects the random change and selection of digital and nucleotide codes. We illustrate our findingswith a computer simulation of the evolution of a population of self replicating digital amoebae. We show that evolutionaryprogramming of digital codes is a valid model for the evolution of nucleotide codes by random change within theboundaries of mutation protection, not for evolution by unbounded random change. Our mutation protection perspectiveenhances the understanding of the evolutionary dynamics of digital and nucleotide codes and its limitations, and reveals aparadox between the necessity of dysfunctioning mutation protection for evolution and its disadvantage for survival. Ourmutation protection perspective suggests new directions for research into mutational robustness.