Consider a startup. In the long run, it may have a large advantage over its incumbent competitors. But at inception, it often needs a capital investment to over

Consider a startup. In the long run, it may have a large advantage over its incumbent competitors. But at inception, it often needs a capital investment to overcome a barrier of entry. Without the initial investment, the startup may never see the light of day. The article's thesis is analogous: though sexual selection may be a global maximum, evolution might have gotten stuck in a local maximum (asexual selection) if not for a little boost. Off the top of my head, I can imagine possible adaptations which humans would find strictly beneficial, but we won't likely evolve (without genetic engineering). E.g. there's no good reason why humans have a blind spot. We wouldn't have it if our optic nerves were attached behind our retina instead of in front. But we're stuck with it because evolution can't conjure a discontinuous jump in our anatomy.