Session:

NuE - Neutral Evolution in Evolutionary Computation

Title:

Retroviral GA and Fitness Functions with Subbasin-Portal Architecture

Authors:

Alexander V. Spirov

Abstract:

Classical understanding of the mechanisms of biological evolution has inspired the creation of an entire order of heuristic optimization techniques, known in general as Evolutionary Computation (EC). Our approach is characterized by the use of operators that implement the reproduction and diversification of genetic material in a manner inspired by retroviral reproduction and a genetic-engineering technique known as DNA shuffling. We will refer to our approach as Retroviral Genetic Algorithms or retroGA. RetroGA has many applications to problems of forced molecular evolution and has demonstrated impressive effectiveness on a series of benchmark tests. We selected these tests on the basis of their potential similarity to real-world problems of in vitro evolution and molecular-biological evolution. Some of the simplest fitness functions that demonstrate the properties of neutral subbasins linked by narrow pathways are the Royal Road and Royal Staircase fitness functions.