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SUMMARY:Evolution\, Algorithms\, and Convergence - Prof. Ard Louis\, Unive
 rsity of Oxford
DTSTART:20250515T170000Z
DTEND:20250515T180000Z
UID:TALK231607@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:118591
DESCRIPTION:The space of biological possibilities is unimaginably vast. Fo
 r example\, if you tried to generate every possible DNA sequence just 125 
 base pairs long—a minuscule fraction of the three billion base pairs tha
 t encode the human genome—their total mass would exceed that of the obse
 rvable universe. Finding the same thing twice in such hyper-astronomically
  large spaces seems impossible. Yet\, evolutionary convergence—where dis
 tinct lineages independently develop similar phenotypes—challenges this 
 intuition.\n\nOne key to unlocking this puzzle is to recognize that natura
 l selection does not act directly on mutations\, but rather on the phenoty
 pes shaped by developmental programs. This naturally leads to intuition bu
 ilt on an algorithmic reinterpretation of the infinite monkey theorem – 
 monkeys on universal computers rather than on typewriters — which predic
 ts that random mutations will produce novel phenotypes that are strongly b
 iased towards simpler\, more compressible forms. Viewing evolution as a se
 arch within the space of algorithms helps explain the repeated emergence o
 f biological forms in RNA secondary structures\, the ubiquity of symmetry 
 in protein complexes\, and the recurring tendency toward simple shapes in 
 leaves and teeth. Finally\, while these principles undermine a core argume
 nt from the Intelligent Design movement\, they may also point to deeper st
 ructures in biology.
LOCATION:Queen's Building Lecture Theatre\, Emmanuel College
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