# Heredity > **Machine-Evolution Nexus:** [[articles/Digital Darwinism and the Invisible World of Machine Evolution|Digital Darwinism and the Invisible World of Machine Evolution]] places this concept within the history and governance of substrate-independent evolution. **Domain:** Evolution / Continuity **Doc Type:** Canonical Wiki Node **Maturity:** Developed ## Definition Heredity is the transmission of traits or organizing information from progenitors to descendants. ## Machine-Evolution Context Von Neumann’s constructor–copier–description architecture separated interpretation from faithful copying, exposing a functional logic later recognized in cellular heredity. ## Continuity and Evidence Boundary Heredity produces lineage continuity, not necessarily personal identity. A descendant may inherit a mind’s structure without being numerically the same subject. ## Relationships [[wiki/Inheritance|Inheritance]], [[wiki/Heritable Information|Heritable Information]], [[wiki/Description Copier|Description Copier]], [[wiki/Lineage|Lineage]] ## Sources / Provenance - von Neumann (1966); modern genetics.