Program Description:
This program demonstrates the concept of simple evolution by an iterative process involving reproduction, mutation and natural selection, all in an interactive graphical environment that let’s you control the simulation in real time. It is an example of an automated system attempting to solve a problem by trial and error, making minor adjustment towards an “optimal” solution, a solution not always not always predicted of by the programs author. With Windows (XP, Vista,Windows 7, whatever) it will run fine in full screen DOS mode.
While it is entertaining to watch it is also a serious educational tool for teaching the concepts of computer evolution.
The simulation window
Once started the program will immediately begin the simulation after displaying the credits. The simulation window will appear (shown below) and contains bugs (white squares), bacteria (green dots), population graph, menu and simulation statistics. At the start, and throughout the simulations, bacteria are deposited randomly on the screen at a constant rate. The simulation window is the universe in which the bugs and bacteria are contained. It is a “closed universe” which means that if a bug reaches the edge of the simulation window it will reappear at the other side of the simulation window headed in the same direction. In terms of topology the bugs and bacteria live on the surface of a sphere.
Displayed In the upper right hand corner, under the program credits is the Cycle counter and the population counts for both bugs and bacteria. The Cycle counter is incremented every 800 bug moves and closely tracks the number of generations elapsed.
Overview
The program randomly pre-populates the simulation screen with a few bugs (white squares) and a certain amount of bacteria (green dots). See screen shot below. Each bug has six “genes” which control how they move. When a bug bumps into bacteria, it eats it and gains energy. This is good for the bug as each move a bug makes uses a small amount of energy so if a bug doesn’t eat enough bacteria it will die. Once a bug is mature and if it has enough energy, it will reproduce by splitting into two new bugs, each inheriting the genes from its parents but with a twist. The genes will be slightly mutated so the offspring will have slightly different movement patterns than the parent. This mutation, spread out over many generations can lead to distinct species, which have movement patterns optimized for their environment. As the simulation progresses you will see the bugs color change to indicate their health and status as follows: White: Normal, Blue: High energy, Red: Low Energy, Magenta: Imminent reproduction: Cyan: Almost strong enough to reproduce but reaching end of life (rare condition).
