4 ms·
Beyond explaining the curiosity of a turtle's shell, I really liked this article for introducing me to exaptation: The turtle’s shell, then, is a wonderful
by kjhughes 10y ago
Beyond explaining the curiosity of a turtle's shell, I really liked this article for introducing me to exaptation:
The turtle’s shell, then, is a wonderful example of exaptation
—the evolutionary process where a trait evolves for one function
and is then co-opted to serve another. They began as digging
platforms and then became suits of armor. Feathers are another
example. They now help birds to fly, but they probably originated
as ways of keeping warm or signaling to mates and rivals.
- jonchang 10y ago"Exaptation" has slowly been replacing the older term "pre-adaptation", which biologists avoid using because of its teleological implications.
- paavokoya 10y agoExaptation is a product of exaptation.. smirks
- dredmorbius 10y agoAntiteleological principles developed in order to avoid teleological justifications.
- claystu 10y agoThere's a really good Stephen J. Gould essay on exaptation titled, "Exaptation - a missing term in the science of form"
- e12e 10y agoFor others that are curious, appears to be on-line here: http://faculty.insead.edu/vibha-gaba/documents/Gould%20%26%20Vrba_Exaptation.pdf http://faculty.insead.edu/vibha-gaba/documents/Gould%20%26%2...
- dredmorbius 10y agoRather a neologism: https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=exaptation&year_start=1800&year_end=2000&corpus=15&smoothing=3&direct_url=t1%3B%2Cexaptation%3B%2Cc0 https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=exaptation&yea... Though the antecedants date to the 19th century: https://books.google.com/books?id=0WNVAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA102&dq=%22exaptation%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiapYixlffNAhUMxoMKHSfICZwQ6AEIIjAB https://books.google.com/books?id=0WNVAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA102&dq=%...