Adaption

Adaption, also spelled adaptation, is the act or process of adjusting to new conditions or environments. It encompasses modifications that improve function, fitness, or usefulness across biology, culture, technology, and behavior. In modern English, adaptation is the dominant form; adaption is a recognized variant used in some regions and disciplines.

Etymology: From Latin adaptare, via Old French adapter, entering English in the medieval period. The two spellings reflect regional and historical variation, but the concept is the same.

Biology: A biological adaptation is a heritable trait or behavior that increases an organism's fitness in a specific environment. Adaptations arise through natural selection acting on genetic variation and can be structural (m morphology), physiological (metabolic pathways), or behavioral. They accumulate over generations; individuals may show short-term phenotypic plasticity, but true evolutionary adaptations require inheritance.

Cultural and artistic adaptation: In culture and media, adaptation refers to transforming a work from one medium to another, such as a novel adapted into a film or a stage production. The process often involves reinterpretation, condensation, and modification of details. The resulting work is an adaptation. Some writers and style guides distinguish adaption (process) from adaptation (product), but usage varies.

Technology and society: Adaptation also describes adjustments to technology, infrastructure, or social practices to meet new demands or risks. Climate adaptation, for example, includes flood defenses, drought management, and resilient design. Human communities adapt through policy, education, economic change, and innovation.