Degrees and Switches

Abstract

In recent years, evolutionary biology has been the focus of post-Darwinist theories superseding the mere notion of variation with a concept called evolutionary development. The theory of evolutionary development, commonly referred to as evo-devo, follows a series of observations on the nature of organic developments and natural morphologies. Its main contribution rests on an evolutionary model that considers the similarities of genetic material forming organisms and their differences in morphological development due to switching mechanisms between the assigned genes. As observed by the American biologist Sean Carroll, evolution follows regulatory sequences of selector genes that are similar and can be found across various species of insects, plants and animals. This observation represents a counter-proposal to the old-modern evolutionary theories that looked at processes of adaptation as a function of the emergence of new genes. Evo-devo, on the contrary, recognizes that morphological differences are triggered by recombinatory switches that re-arrange genes in manifold ways to produce numerous characteristics of adaptation. From a design point of view, evo-devo has tremendous implications because it suggests that generative design protocols may induce sets of similar operations, yet stimulate a wide range of morphologies according to their sequential arrangements and activities. These generative design strategies include, among others, computational methods such as structural shape annealing and object-oriented analysis and design. While these methods are now integrating computing design practices, it is here proposed to review these two computational design methods in the context of three research projects