IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/nat/natcom/v12y2021i1d10.1038_s41467-021-23573-3.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Towards an engineering theory of evolution

Author

Listed:
  • Simeon D. Castle

    (University of Bristol)

  • Claire S. Grierson

    (University of Bristol
    BrisSynBio, University of Bristol)

  • Thomas E. Gorochowski

    (University of Bristol
    BrisSynBio, University of Bristol)

Abstract

Biological technologies are fundamentally unlike any other because biology evolves. Bioengineering therefore requires novel design methodologies with evolution at their core. Knowledge about evolution is currently applied to the design of biosystems ad hoc. Unless we have an engineering theory of evolution, we will neither be able to meet evolution’s potential as an engineering tool, nor understand or limit its unintended consequences for our biological designs. Here, we propose the evotype as a helpful concept for engineering the evolutionary potential of biosystems, or other self-adaptive technologies, potentially beyond the realm of biology.

Suggested Citation

  • Simeon D. Castle & Claire S. Grierson & Thomas E. Gorochowski, 2021. "Towards an engineering theory of evolution," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 12(1), pages 1-12, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:12:y:2021:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-021-23573-3
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-23573-3
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-021-23573-3
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1038/s41467-021-23573-3?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Duncan Ingram & Guy-Bart Stan, 2023. "Modelling genetic stability in engineered cell populations," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-12, December.
    2. Rachapun Rotrattanadumrong & Yohei Yokobayashi, 2022. "Experimental exploration of a ribozyme neutral network using evolutionary algorithm and deep learning," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-14, December.
    3. Andras Gyorgy, 2023. "Competition and evolutionary selection among core regulatory motifs in gene expression control," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-12, December.
    4. Simeon D. Castle & Michiel Stock & Thomas E. Gorochowski, 2024. "Engineering is evolution: a perspective on design processes to engineer biology," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-10, December.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:12:y:2021:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-021-23573-3. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.nature.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.