Imagine evolution not as a ladder, but as a vast landscape of possibilities. Organisms navigate this space by “facets spanning” – developing new features to overcome environmental pressures and internal limitations. This dance between external and internal forces shapes the incredible diversity of life on Earth, with each new facet a testament to evolution’s remarkable adaptability.

Facets Spanning Evolution’s Landscape

Imagine a vast, high-dimensional space. This space represents all the possible shapes and structures an organism can take. Each point defines a unique combination of features and properties. Within this space, evolution unfolds as a process of facets spanning new possibilities.

Domain Spaces: The Pressures that Shape

Think of subspaces within this vast expanse – the domain spaces. These represent the limitations and pressures imposed by the environment (external pressure) and the limitations of the underlying genetic material (internal pressure).

• External Pressure: Imagine a “molten chocolate coating” representing environmental factors like gravity, temperature, resource availability, and competition. These factors exert pressure on the organism, pushing it towards facets spanning that enhance its ability to survive.
• Internal Pressure: This refers to the inherent limitations of the organism’s genetic makeup. Imagine the filling not being perfectly moldable. This represents the limitations that prevent facets spanning too drastically in a single generation.

Evolution as a Dance Between Pressures

Evolution, in this analogy, is the process of adding new facets to the organism’s form in geometric space. These facets represent new features and adaptations that allow it to better withstand the pressures from both the domain spaces.

The Press-Restructure Cycle – Facets Spanning

1. External Pressure: The organism experiences pressure from the environment, pushing it towards facets spanning in the geometric space – a region where shapes are better suited to survive.
2. Internal Resistance: However, the limitations of the genetic material (internal pressure) resist drastic changes. This prevents the organism from directly morphing into the ideal shape.
3. Internal Restructuring: Here comes the twist. By withstanding the external pressure, the organism can internally re-structure its genetic makeup (through mutations and natural selection).
4. New Facet: This internal restructuring allows for the emergence of a new facet – a new combination of features that offers a better compromise between withstanding the external pressure and the limitations of the internal pressure.
5. Repeat: This cycle of pressure, internal resistance, restructuring, and the emergence of new facets, continues, driving evolution as organisms facet span across the geometric spaces.

Key Points:

• Evolution is not a direct path towards an ideal form, but a continuous exploration of the geometric space limited by internal and external pressures.
• New features (facets) arise as a result of overcoming both internal and external pressures. This analogy emphasizes the interplay between environmental pressures and the limitations of the organism itself in shaping its evolution.

Limitations:

• This is a simplified analogy and doesn’t capture the full complexity of evolution.
• The concept of “Universal Substance filling” doesn’t fully represent the nuanced nature of genetic material.

Overall, this analogy provides a unique way to visualize the interplay between internal and external forces that drive evolution. It highlights that evolution is a process of continuous adaptation and compromise within the confines of the possible, with organisms facets spanning across the vast landscape of possibilities.