Evolution as a fractal

[Alef]

Evolution could be like iterative process of fractals with the most complex of complexity. Each new generation could be like new wave of iterates interacting with suroundings and species, thus the formula. Then the iterated produce new iterates who goes throught the same but slightly different formula influenced alsou by positions of previous iterates. These iterations would be mostly convergent with just fluctuations at the local level and not mutch changeing the larger picture in all the dimensions exept small gradual drift in one or another direction. But then from time to time these local fluctuations diverge and eventualy create a new strange atractors.
This is just my madness from watching movies about science;)

[Chillheimer]

in my opinion there is nothing more fractal than the tree of life. self similar families of species all branching out in endless variety.
of course it doesn't match with the  purely mathematical definitition for fractals, no infinity here, but I couldn't care less.

the most fascinating thing about this I find is the connection with moores law and technology being "the evolution of evolution"

[Max Sinister]

Well, there are many animals and plants which are fractal in some way. Ferns, trees in general, also body parts like lungs or feathers. Of course this is involved in evolution somehow...

[cKleinhuis]

chilli, that is perfectly fractal branching off cats and dogs into sub cats and dogs (leopards, jaguars, hous cats - wolfes, dogs, hyanes )

lol but i wonder where the flat out after democracy invention comes from adaption to surroundings/new circumstances ...

[gyphia]

I think its the same with musical evolution..genres etc..it seem to follow a fractal structure and is much the same principle as animal evolution. 

[Chillheimer]

@ max, the point is not that there are fractal patterns in animals and plants but in the tree of life itself.
every generation is one iteration, extremely self similar within species with each species being a different branch, and one common stem.
to me the tree of life is not just a visualisation. it's an actual picture of the fractal'ness' of evolution.

[Max Sinister]

Well, both applies, I'd say. Of course, species may split, but how often did it happen that two species merge into one? The tree is the natural shape for evolution.

[Tglad]

There is also a fractal sponge (lattice) here... two people come together and have several children. People commonly couple up with partners who are close (geographically or culturally) and less frequently couple with partners who are more distant. So the linking (coupling) and forking (children) probably follows a power law.
At some amount of distance the linking stops happening (roughly when the people/animals are separate species), then the process becomes more like a tree on the large scales. In my shape classifier https://sites.google.com/site/simplextable/ I call this a Sponge Tree so its a bit like where upwards is time