Re: new memetics article

From: Van oost Kenneth (kennethvanoost@belgacom.net)
Date: Sun 12 Jan 2003 - 15:33:25 GMT

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    ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ray Recchia" <rrecchia@mail.clarityconnect.com>

    >
    > His paper would have been helped immensely if he were familiar with
    Manfred
    > Eigen's mathematically defined quasi-species and error catastrophe
    > threshold. A quasi-species is a population of variants that hovers around
    > a fitness peak. The constant introduction of error insures that no member
    > has ideal fitness, but so long as the error rate does not exceed the
    > selectivity factor modified by overall complexity, the species will
    > continue to maintain a average genotype approximating the ideal fitness
    > candidate.

    Hi Ray,

    Hm, what about the Fosbury- flop used in high- jumping !? Introduced it was then the ideal fitness candidate, but are there still errors introduced within the technique so that no atlete has ideal fitness !?

    This implies two ( possible) things, 1- that indeed something like directed mutation is at work, causing silent mutations within so that noone ever will achieve ideal fitness. That has to be prooven, though ! 2- That along the way of selection, the problem ' not to reach for the ideal fitness peak ' can be overcome by raising the odds of selection for taller people to jump.

    Fosbury was, I think about 1. 80 or more !?, but now high- jumpers can reach 2.00m and more. So IMO, the constant introduction of possible errors is overcome by genetical selection for taller, stronger atletes. In a way, a very tall man, lets say 2. 45 can reach the ideal fitness peak if ever no taller man takes on the challenge to jump higher.

    If of course, a complete new technique would be introduced, the whole of the picture change.

    Bubka, the Russian jumping- pole atlete never could have reached 6 m and more if 1_ others didn 't concerned themselves with the in- vention of new materials and 2_ the rules weren 't be changed so that taller poles were allowed to use.( And taller poles means that stronger man are the ones who can compete_ you must have the strenght to lift the pole in the air and run with it along a parcours, to stick it in a tiny hole and catapult yourself over the bar.)

    Is this considered by you or by others as an introduction of an error !? Bubka achieved ideal fitness peak, in understanding that his own personal technique was evolved out of the use of the poles and due to the changed rules. Will ever be someone tempted to achieve yet another ideal fitness peak, yes, but will this be due to the introduction of any " error "....!?

    Regards,

    Kenneth

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