Populations of genetic circuits are unable to find the fittest solution in a multilevel genotype–phenotype map

The evolution of gene regulatory networks (GRNs) is of great relevance for both evolutionary and synthetic biology. Understanding the relationship between GRN structure and its function can allow us to understand the selective pressures that have shaped a given circuit. This is especially relevant when considering spatio-temporal expression patterns, where GRN models have been shown to be extremely robust and evolvable. However, previous models...