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Science 29 May 1998:
Vol. 280. no. 5368, pp. 1451 - 1455
DOI: 10.1126/science.280.5368.1451
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Reports

Continuity in Evolution: On the Nature of Transitions

Walter Fontana, Peter Schuster

To distinguish continuous from discontinuous evolutionary change, a relation of nearness between phenotypes is needed. Such a relation is based on the probability of one phenotype being accessible from another through changes in the genotype. This nearness relation is exemplified by calculating the shape neighborhood of a transfer RNA secondary structure and provides a characterization of discontinuous shape transformations in RNA. The simulation of replicating and mutating RNA populations under selection shows that sudden adaptive progress coincides mostly, but not always, with discontinuous shape transformations. The nature of these transformations illuminates the key role of neutral genetic drift in their realization.

Institut für Theoretische Chemie, Universität Wien, Währingerstrasse 17, A-1090 Wien, Austria, Santa Fe Institute, 1399 Hyde Park Road, Santa Fe, NM 87501, USA, and International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), A-2361 Laxenburg, Austria.

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