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PaulK's Shortform

by PaulK
15th Dec 2022
1 min read
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This is a special post for quick takes by PaulK. Only they can create top-level comments. Comments here also appear on the Quick Takes page and All Posts page.
PaulK's Shortform
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[-]PaulK3y60

Is there an arithmetic vs. geometric rationality thing (a la Scott Garrabrant's recent series) going on with genes?

Like, at equilibrium, the ratio of different genetic variants should be determined by the arithmetic expectation of the number of copies they pass on to the next generation. But for new variants just starting out, the population size (# of copies of that variant) could easily hit 0 and get wiped out, so it should be more cautious -- the population should want to maximize the geometric expectation of its growth rate, like a kelly better.

Does this make sense? I don't know actual population genetics math.

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