Genetics does not specify a hard-wired machine that does the same thing under all circumstances (except for a few species). Instead, it produces an error-minimization scheme - something that is able to correct, despite novel circumstances.
In the standard view of evolution, it’s hard getting positive changes without changing positive changes from the past. If you fuck something old up, the good mutation is also gone.
More realistic scenario: We don’t go straight from the genotype (genes) to the phenotype (actual body), there is a layer of development in the middle, which is not just complex, but intelligent.
Competency hides information from evolution:
Selection can’t see whether the an organism looks good because the genome was great, or, whether the genome was mid but it fixed whatever issue it had.
Spectrum of competency:
C Elegans: Barebones, what you see in the genome is what you get, not really any regeneration → Mamals → Salamanders (quite good regenerators, long lived, resistant to cancer) → planaria.
Planaria have comitted to the fact that their hardware is noisy, and put all the effort into developing an amazing algorithm that let’s them do their thing.
Link to originalThe collective behaviour of cells is not just an emergent property of simple mechanic rules (like with CA)
For example if you try to deviate them their goal, they are very good at finding new ways to get there.