>"Notwithstanding this recent metamorphosis, many mysteries in the field
>remain to challenge us. Complex evolutionary phenomena are difficult to
>explain from well-understood elemental mechanisms, just as the weather
>proves difficult to predict despite advances in basic physics."
>
Interesting that they should choose weather as an analogy. Weather is
difficult to predict because its underlying dynamics are chaotic. One
model for weather dynamics is the Lorenz differential equation -- a fairly
innocent-looking nonlinear D. E. which produces unpredictable behavior.
Understanding the basic physics of weather doesn't help. The governing
dynamical equations are nonlinear and exhibit sensitive dependence on
initial conditions. I suspect the same is true of evolution. An
interesting aspect of many chaotic systems is that they are unpredictable
even though they are deterministic. In fact one of the best examples of
this sort of phenomenon is the so-called random number generators used on
computers.
Bill Hamilton
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William E. Hamilton, Jr., Ph.D.
Staff Research Engineer
Chassis and Vehicle Systems MC 480-106-390
GM R&D Center
30500 Mound Road
Warren, MI
hamilton@predator.cs.gmr.com / whamilto@mich.com (home)