Skip to main content
Journal cover image

Perfection is the enemy of evolution.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Bejan, A
Published in: Bio Systems
July 2023

The universal phenomenon of evolution consists of change after change in flow configuration in a time direction that is perceptible to the observer. This reality clashes with the doctrine of precise optima, minima, and maxima, now rigidly in place because of calculus and computational simulations of all kinds of flowing and changing configurations. With two dissimilar examples, access on an area (a human settlement) and along a line (animal locomotion), it is shown that even a 1-percent imperfection in performance is accompanied by a sizable bandwidth of freedom to hit the 'target', that is, an easily accessible design with close to perfect performance. The evolutionary designs reveal the physics behind the phenomenon of diminishing returns in the vicinity of the mathematical optimum. In evolution what works is kept.

Duke Scholars

Altmetric Attention Stats
Dimensions Citation Stats

Published In

Bio Systems

DOI

EISSN

1872-8324

ISSN

0303-2647

Publication Date

July 2023

Volume

229

Start / End Page

104917

Related Subject Headings

  • Time
  • Physics
  • Locomotion
  • Humans
  • Biological Evolution
  • Bioinformatics
  • Animals
  • 40 Engineering
  • 31 Biological sciences
  • 09 Engineering
 

Citation

APA
Chicago
ICMJE
MLA
NLM
Bejan, A. (2023). Perfection is the enemy of evolution. Bio Systems, 229, 104917. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biosystems.2023.104917
Bejan, Adrian. “Perfection is the enemy of evolution.Bio Systems 229 (July 2023): 104917. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biosystems.2023.104917.
Bejan A. Perfection is the enemy of evolution. Bio Systems. 2023 Jul;229:104917.
Bejan, Adrian. “Perfection is the enemy of evolution.Bio Systems, vol. 229, July 2023, p. 104917. Epmc, doi:10.1016/j.biosystems.2023.104917.
Bejan A. Perfection is the enemy of evolution. Bio Systems. 2023 Jul;229:104917.
Journal cover image

Published In

Bio Systems

DOI

EISSN

1872-8324

ISSN

0303-2647

Publication Date

July 2023

Volume

229

Start / End Page

104917

Related Subject Headings

  • Time
  • Physics
  • Locomotion
  • Humans
  • Biological Evolution
  • Bioinformatics
  • Animals
  • 40 Engineering
  • 31 Biological sciences
  • 09 Engineering