Algorithmic efficiency in the face of inelegance算法的效率，在面對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 “種子雜誌發表了一份精彩的文章之間的交叉世界生物學和工程“ 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.複雜的發展規例不是產品的設計，都和它的對立面是什麼人的設計師會考慮良好的規劃或一個優雅的算法。 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，它正是您期望作為的結果cobbling一起偶然的意外，線一起幫助剪貼簿到的結果可能不漂亮，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.這是所有進化的需要，從發展過程：一些工程的不夠好，無論怎樣尷尬的或不必要的複雜，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.生物解決方案可以顯著有效率（很好地適應感謝演化由自然選擇） ，而荒謬的倒退，在設計。 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).神經在哺乳動物通過對眼睛上方的棒和錐收集輕，但我不能抱怨我的視力（以外的其他需要，但接觸的另一個故事） 。 Cephalopods apparently have more accurate vision thanks to happier circumstances:頭足，顯然有更準確的眼光感謝愉快的情況下：
The vertebrate retina is wired “backwards”.脊椎動物視網膜是有線“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.這是感光點，後面的視網膜，遠離傳入輕，神經和血管都在一邊的傳入輕，這意味著任何形象上形成的脊椎動物視網膜已通過，雖然層次的血管和神經節細胞，吸收和扭曲的形象… … 。現在考慮的眼睛魷魚，墨魚和octopi 。 Their retinas are “rightway round”, that is the photoreceptors face the light, and the wiring and the blood vessels facing the back (1).他們的視網膜是“ rightway輪” ，這是光感受器面對輕，和電線及血管面臨的回（ 1 ） 。 Squid and octopi have no blind spot; they can also have high visual acuity.魷魚和octopi沒有盲點，他們也可以有高的視力。 The octopus also has a fovea-equivalent structure, which it makes by packing more (or longer) photoreceptors into a given area (1).八達通卡也有一個凹相當於結構，它由包裝，使更多的（或更長）光感受器到某一特定領域（ 1 ） 。 Because it doesn’t have to create a hole in the supporting tissue it can have arbitrarily large “fovea”, and greater visual acuity.因為它沒有創造一個洞，在支持組織，它可以有任意大型的“凹” ，和更大的視力。 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.墨魚有更好的視力比貓科動物（ 2 ）由於其“ rightway圓圓的”視網膜;這種程度的視力涵蓋了幾乎整個視網膜（ 1,2 ）不同脊椎動物的地方，這是局限在小光斑的凹。
More on this fascinating story更多關於這個迷人的故事 here這裡 . 。
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，人類的工程師會迴避不必要的複雜演化歷史的意外，似乎創造。 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.不過，今天的領導工程師面對轉移的要求，以壓倒性的問題的複雜性，或不完整的認識，科學的背後可能的解決方案，以及採取一種進化策略，對解決問題 ，正如很多電路和藥物設計者已經做了成功。 (I’ll try and dig up some references). （我會嘗試和挖掘一些參考） 。 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.他們開始與模塊化設計有很多簡單的部分可以扭曲和重新安排，迅速成立的複製與隨機修改和一個過程，選擇最佳的安裝的解決辦法。 Like artificial selection, or breeding, you can achieve results quickly.像人工選擇，或育種，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.這是類似什麼成功的有機體，成型進化過程中自然選擇的工作，另一方面在手與突變和再生產。 And it explains why we burn brightly on this earth, have sex, and above all why we are programmed to die.它解釋了為什麼我們燒傷燦爛的這個地球上，有性別，及以上所有我們為什麼編程死亡。
