Exaptation is one of my absolute favorite observations in nature and conceptually one of my favorite ideas of all time. Technology is full of these ideas and is a key type of innovation in tech. The idea originally comes from Stephen Jay Gould, who observed how biological functions would often be cloned, mutate over time and acquire new functionality.
A definition from chatgpt:
Exaptation is the process by which a feature, idea, or technology originally developed for one purpose is adapted or co-opted for a different, often unrelated purpose.
And a few random examples pulled from the web:
- Feathers evolved for insulation, later used for flight.
- A GPU designed for graphics later used for machine learning.
- CRISPR is part of bacterial immune system for defending against viruses has been repurposed as a tool for precise gene editing in humans and other organisms.
- Vacuum tubes originally amplify signals in early radios but are repurposed as binary switches in the first digital computers.
- The hippocampus is thought to originate as spatial navigation in early mammals but in humans is now used for episodic memory and imagination.
- Gills for fish were coopted as lungs for air breathing.