brute force search can still be limited in the states it can reach. If there's some limitation on the types of moves you can make, which presumably there is, then you're limited to states that have paths between them.

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philipov 4 days ago | parent [-]

And in Pareto, there's a rule like that built in because you're only allowed to make moves that increase utility. You're not allowed to move backwards, which can lead to getting trapped in a local maximum.

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jiggawatts 4 days ago | parent | next [-]

That’s not precisely correct, because there is some “noise” in the system. Also, multiple genes can have competing effects, so one gene’s individual fitness can be suppressed by another.

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ajuc 4 days ago | parent | prev | next [-]

The mutations are like little nudges to throw you off the local maximum.

And there's junk DNA where mutations can accumulate over time without being subject to selection before getting enabled at random to see if they give you an advantage.

I think both the amount of junk DNA and the mutation rate are themselves subject to evolution for the best trade-off.

	▲	immibis 4 days ago \| parent [-]
		Note that most "junk DNA" is just DNA with a purpose we don't understand (originally, all DNA that didn't code for proteins). Some of it is true junk, of course.

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teiferer 4 days ago | parent | prev [-]

That's the exact opposite of random mutation.

	▲	4 days ago \| parent [-]
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