Algorithmic efficiency in the face of inelegance算法的效率，在面对inelegance
March 1st, 2008 | by ian | 2008年3月1日|由伊恩|Seed magazine published a wonderful crossover article between the worlds of biology and engineering “种子杂志发表了一份精彩的文章之间的交叉世界生物学和工程“ Algorithmic Inelegance算法inelegance ” “
The complexity of developmental regulation isn’ta product of design at all, and it’s the antithesis of what human designers would consider good planning or an elegant algorithm.复杂的发展规例不是产品的设计，都和它的对立面是什么人的设计师会考虑良好的规划或一个优雅的算法。 It is, however, exactly what you’d expect as the result of cobbling together fortuitous accidents, stringing together helpful scraps into an outcome that may not be pretty, but it works.然而，它正是您期望作为的结果cobbling一起偶然的意外，线一起帮助剪贴簿到的结果可能不漂亮，但它的工程。 That’s all evolution needs from developmental processes: something that works well enough, no matter how awkward or needlessly complex it may seem.这是所有进化的需要，从发展过程：一些工程的不够好，无论怎样尴尬的或不必要的复杂，它可能似乎。
Biological solutions can be remarkably efficient (well adapted thanks to evolution by natural selection) while being absurdly backwards in design.生物解决方案可以显着有效率（很好地适应感谢演化由自然选择） ，而荒谬的倒退，在设计。 Nerves in the mammalian eye pass on top of the rods and cones that collect light yet I can’t complain about my eyesight (other than the need for contacts but that’s another story).神经在哺乳动物通过对眼睛上方的棒和锥收集轻，但我不能抱怨我的视力（以外的其他需要，但接触的另一个故事） 。 Cephalopods apparently have more accurate vision thanks to happier circumstances:头足，显然有更准确的眼光感谢愉快的情况下：
The vertebrate retina is wired “backwards”.脊椎动物视网膜是有线“倒退” 。 That is the photoreceptors point to back of the retina, away from incoming light, and the nerves and blood vessels are on the side of the incoming light, this means that any image formed on the vertebrate retina has to pass though layers of blood vessels and ganglion cells, absorbing and distorting the image….Now consider the eye of squids, cuttlefish and octopi.这是感光点，后面的视网膜，远离传入轻，神经和血管都在一边的传入轻，这意味着任何形象上形成的脊椎动物视网膜已通过，虽然层次的血管和神经节细胞，吸收和扭曲的形象… … 。现在考虑的眼睛鱿鱼，墨鱼和octopi 。 Their retinas are “rightway round”, that is the photoreceptors face the light, and the wiring and the blood vessels facing the back (1).他们的视网膜是“ rightway轮” ，这是光感受器面对轻，和电线及血管面临的回（ 1 ） 。 Squid and octopi have no blind spot; they can also have high visual acuity.鱿鱼和octopi没有盲点，他们也可以有高的视力。 The octopus also has a fovea-equivalent structure, which it makes by packing more (or longer) photoreceptors into a given area (1).八达通卡也有一个凹相当于结构，它由包装，使更多的（或更长）光感受器到某一特定领域（ 1 ） 。 Because it doesn’t have to create a hole in the supporting tissue it can have arbitrarily large “fovea”, and greater visual acuity.因为它没有创造一个洞，在支持组织，它可以有任意大型的“凹” ，和更大的视力。 Cuttlefish have better visual acuity than cats (2) and because of their “rightway round” retinas; this level of acuity covers nearly the entire retina (1,2) unlike vertebrates where it is confined to the small spot of the fovea.墨鱼有更好的视力比猫科动物（ 2 ）由于其“ rightway圆圆的”视网膜;这种程度的视力涵盖了几乎整个视网膜（ 1,2 ）不同脊椎动物的地方，这是局限在小光斑的凹。
More on this fascinating story更多关于这个迷人的故事 here这里 . 。
The author seems to indicate that human engineers would shy away from the needless complexity that evolution by historical accident seems to create.作者似乎表明，人类的工程师会回避不必要的复杂演化历史的意外，似乎创造。 However, today’s leading engineers faced with shifting requirements, overwhelming problem complexity, or incomplete understanding of the science behind the solution may well adopt an evolutionary strategy toward solving a problem , as many circuit and drug designers have already done successfully.不过，今天的领导工程师面对转移的要求，以压倒性的问题的复杂性，或不完整的认识，科学的背后可能的解决方案，以及采取一种进化策略，对解决问题 ，正如很多电路和药物设计者已经做了成功。 (I’ll try and dig up some references). （我会尝试和挖掘一些参考） 。 They start with a modular design with lots of simple parts that can be tweaked and rearranged quickly, set up replication with random modification and a process for selecting the best fitted solutions.他们开始与模块化设计有很多简单的部分可以扭曲和重新安排，迅速成立的复制与随机修改和一个过程，选择最佳的安装的解决办法。 Like artificial selection, or breeding, you can achieve results quickly.像人工选择，或育种，您可以迅速取得成果。 This is similar to what successful organisms do, molded by the evolutionary process of natural selection working hand in hand with mutation and reproduction.这是类似什么成功的有机体，成型进化过程中自然选择的工作，另一方面在手与突变和再生产。 And it explains why we burn brightly on this earth, have sex, and above all why we are programmed to die.它解释了为什么我们烧伤灿烂的这个地球上，有性别，及以上所有我们为什么编程死亡。
