%0 Book Section %1 statphys23_0974 %A Deem, M.W. %A Sun, J. %B Abstract Book of the XXIII IUPAP International Conference on Statistical Physics %C Genova, Italy %D 2007 %E Pietronero, Luciano %E Loreto, Vittorio %E Zapperi, Stefano %K breaking evolution hierarchy modularity spontaneous statphys23 symmetry topic-10 %T Spontaneous Emergence of Modularity among Interactions in a Model of Evolving Individuals %U http://st23.statphys23.org/webservices/abstract/preview_pop.php?ID_PAPER=974 %X Modularity abounds in biology. Elements of hierarchy---modules---are found in developmental biology, evolutionary biology, and ecology. Modularity is observed at levels that span molecules, cells, tissues, organs, organisms, and societies. At the genomic level, there are introns, exons, chromosomes, and genes. Moreover, there are mechanisms to rearrange and transmit the information that is modularly encoded at the genomic level, such as gene duplication, transposition, and horizontal gene transfer. Why is modularity so prevalent in the natural world? I will present the hypothesis is that a changing environment selects for adaptable frameworks, and competition among different evolutionary frameworks leads to selection of structures with the most efficient dynamics, which are the modular ones. I will provide evidence validating this hypothesis. I will investigate the selective forces that promote the emergence of modularity in nature. I will demonstrate the spontaneous emergence of modularity amoung interactions in a population of individuals that evolve in a changing environment. I will show that the level of modularity correlates with the rapidity and severity of environmental change. I will suggest that the beautiful, hierarchical structure observed in the natural world may be a broken symmetry state, which generically results from evolution in a changing environment. The existence of such structure, therefore, need not necessarily rest on the anthropic principle or other non-physical design principles.

@incollection{statphys23_0974, abstract = {Modularity abounds in biology. Elements of hierarchy---modules---are found in developmental biology, evolutionary biology, and ecology. Modularity is observed at levels that span molecules, cells, tissues, organs, organisms, and societies. At the genomic level, there are introns, exons, chromosomes, and genes. Moreover, there are mechanisms to rearrange and transmit the information that is modularly encoded at the genomic level, such as gene duplication, transposition, and horizontal gene transfer. Why is modularity so prevalent in the natural world? I will present the hypothesis is that a changing environment selects for adaptable frameworks, and competition among different evolutionary frameworks leads to selection of structures with the most efficient dynamics, which are the modular ones. I will provide evidence validating this hypothesis. I will investigate the selective forces that promote the emergence of modularity in nature. I will demonstrate the spontaneous emergence of modularity amoung interactions in a population of individuals that evolve in a changing environment. I will show that the level of modularity correlates with the rapidity and severity of environmental change. I will suggest that the beautiful, hierarchical structure observed in the natural world may be a broken symmetry state, which generically results from evolution in a changing environment. The existence of such structure, therefore, need not necessarily rest on the anthropic principle or other non-physical design principles.}, added-at = {2007-06-20T10:16:09.000+0200}, address = {Genova, Italy}, author = {Deem, M.W. and Sun, J.}, biburl = {https://www.bibsonomy.org/bibtex/2e32d6e66cbca53956a2acf8d1cd17d20/statphys23}, booktitle = {Abstract Book of the XXIII IUPAP International Conference on Statistical Physics}, editor = {Pietronero, Luciano and Loreto, Vittorio and Zapperi, Stefano}, interhash = {a20944ca683d081e3f96e74884db3f4f}, intrahash = {e32d6e66cbca53956a2acf8d1cd17d20}, keywords = {breaking evolution hierarchy modularity spontaneous statphys23 symmetry topic-10}, month = {9-13 July}, timestamp = {2007-06-20T10:16:36.000+0200}, title = {Spontaneous Emergence of Modularity among Interactions in a Model of Evolving Individuals}, url = {http://st23.statphys23.org/webservices/abstract/preview_pop.php?ID_PAPER=974}, year = 2007 }