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From: rambaut@castle.ed.ac.uk (A E Rambaut)
Newsgroups: sci.bio
Subject: Re: COMPUTER SIMULATION OF EVOLUTION
Message-ID: <10705@castle.ed.ac.uk>
Date: 30 May 91 17:09:30 GMT
References: <1991May24.062128.2368@leland.Stanford.EDU>
Organization: Edinburgh University
Lines: 23

zimm@leland.Stanford.EDU (Dylan Yolles) writes:

>I'm looking for classic or important papers on the computer simulation of
>evolution. Recent or older papers are both fine. As a non-expert in the field,
>I'm having trouble sorting out the gilt from the garbage, since no books
>have been written on the subject of which I'm aware. Any suggestions
>from the knowledgable would be wonderful.

Richard Dawkins describes a very famous computer analogy of evolution in
his book 'The Blind Watchmaker'. His system uses 'biomorphs', small
computer generated patterns, that are described by a set of numbers. The
operator assumes the role of natural selector, choosing the mutation
that he/she fancies. There are a number of implentations around for
various computers. The book is really excellent as well.

Another simulation was in the Computer Recreation section of a
Scientific American a few years back. It was calles 'Bugs' and consisted
of small computer bugs moving around gathering food and replicating.
Their movement was dictated by genes and this determined the amount of
food they gathered and thus their success at replicating. Definite
patterns of movement evolved after enough generations.

Andrew.