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Abstract. Th is paper recognizes a specifi c correspondence between biological evolution and technological development and on this basis tries to set up a semiotic approach to the evolutionary phenomenon of exaptation. To do this, the existence of a historical-structural and pragmatic analogy between organs and tools is shown, which in turn implies on a communicative ground the dissolution of some of their traditional distinctive att ributes. Finally, a philosophical-analytical approach to natural and cultural functions is applied to defi ne three types of exaptations.

This paper explains what the biological concept of exaptation is by providing the theoretical context within which it was formulated and the definition of its meaning with respect to other related notions adopted in evolutionary biology. At the same time, this paper describes the main stages of its further development from the initial introduction and outlines its wide contemporary usage within fields of research other than biology. Finally, specific attention is paid to the linguistic, semiotic and biosemiotic dimensions of its adoption, concluding with a discussion concerning the relationship between exaptation and biosemiotics and furnishing some clues for a possible direction of inquiry in the tradition of a Peircean semiotic approach.

Review: Favareau, Donald (ed.) 2010. Essential Readings in Biosemiotics:Anthology and Commentary. Springer.

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