Xref: utzoo comp.ai:6111 comp.ai.neural-nets:1438
Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!clyde.concordia.ca!uunet!edsews!clairday
From: clairday@edsews.EDS.COM (matt clairday)
Newsgroups: comp.ai,comp.ai.neural-nets
Subject: growing software - darwinian model
Keywords: evolution artificial life
Message-ID: <23107@edsews.EDS.COM>
Date: 28 Feb 90 19:31:25 GMT
Organization: EDS/TSD - Troy, MI
Lines: 20

I wonder if anyone saw the article two days ago in the Wall Street Journal
concerning an AI project at UCLA?  The article described the work of
David Jefferson, a CS person there.  He is working on the idea of "growing"
software.

quoting now: " At a Santa Fe conference on "artificail life" this month,
Mr. Jefferson described the evolution of some "electronic ants" created on
a computer, illuminating a program that could offer a new model on writing
software."

He desinged a simulated environment for these "ants" where they were judged
on their "performance" in navigating a simulated trail.  Only the best 10%
survived during each generation. "After creating 200 generations of ants,
Mr. Jefferson had a strain of super ants who follow the trail with ease."

This subject is very interesting to me.
If anyone has any info on how I might get a copy of this paper, a contact
address for Mr. Jefferson, or any info on the New Mexico conference on 
artificial life, I would very much appriciate it. thanks
.