I have found other implementations of the Simulated Evolution concepts on the Internet which are listed below. Some are Open Source projects, such as mine, and some are distributed under a commercial license.
SimEvol by Scott Maxwell
Web Site: http://home.pacbell.net/s-max/scott/simevol.html
License: GNU GPL
Source Code: http://home.pacbell.net/s-max/scott/SimEvol.java
Partial Description: I’m working on this Java port of SimEvol, a C program I wrote for my Amiga way back when. The original idea is from a Scientific American article by A.K. Dewdney.
This world consists of bugs (the small, colorful, moving squares) and their food, randomly placed stationary bacteria (the purple dots). Bacteria are added to the world at a slow, steady pace.
The bugs eat their food by moving onto it, and they move strictly according to their limited genome (they have no sense organs to help them detect food). The best genome is one that keeps a bug moving mostly in straight lines, turning only occasionally; this keeps a bug constantly moving to new areas, rather than exhausting the local food supply and then slowly starving. (The bugs don’t get stuck on the sides of the world because the world is logically toroidal — that is, when you fall off one edge, you reappear at the opposite edge. Fall off the top, reappear unharmed at the bottom.)
Bugs by Matthew Caryl
Web Site:
http://www.ethics.ubc.ca/eame/eameweb/Simulators/JavaProject/TofC.html
License: Generic Open Source (see below)
“Although under copyright to the author (Matthew Caryl) this code can be copied and modified for non-commercial purposes as long as any derivatives contain this condition.”
Source Code:
http://www.ethics.ubc.ca/eame/eameweb/Simulators/JavaProject/Bugs/Bug.java
http://www.ethics.ubc.ca/eame/eameweb/Simulators/JavaProject/Bugs/Plot.java
Partial Description: There are two species of bots who graze on patchy plants. The red species eats less; the blue eats more — indeed it destroys the plant and the patch’s ability to grow plants. To make the contrast dramatic, the two species are separated into East and West halves of their world (which is a torus). The plants’ growth rate is fudged by a random sampling of 1% of the patches per tick. A better implementation would make the patches a cellular automaton. The simulation re-uses the code from Matthew Caryl’s Bugs applet, which is “Based on Simulated Evolution: wherein bugs learn to hunt bacteria by A. K. Dewdney in Scientific American, May 1989. This article discusses a program called Simulated Evolution by Michael Palmiter which shows the same behaviour as the applet above.” On the muddy bottom of a pond a number of protozoa cruise around eating dead bacteria which rain down from above. Their endless search for food takes energy and those who do not find enough nourishment will die. Java capable browsers will show a microscopic segment of the pond which receives enough food to support about 40 protozoa.
Evolution in Motion by Ourniche Software
Web Site:
http://www.science.nelson.com/0176259872/Evolution_in_Motion/right.html
License: Commercial
Single User Licence: $US 14.95 ($24.95 CDN)
Secondary School Site Licence: $US 29.95 ($49.95 CDN)
University/College Licence: $US 49.95 ($74.95 CDN)
Partial Description: Evolution in Motion models these two primary mechanisms in a way that permits direct observation of natural selection in action. The model organisms, called rovers, undergo random mutations as they move about feeding in their virtual environment. Those with favourable mutations may experience greater reproductive success, while those with harmful mutations are less likely to reproduce and pass on their genes to future generations. Directional, stabilizing, and disruptive selection forces drive the evolution of various “species” of rover under differing environmental conditions, including the introduction of antibiotics…
B U G S (Carnivorous Mutating Tribbles From Hell) Version 2.0 31 Jul 89 Alpha Chi Rho Prog
Web Site:
http://www.skepticfiles.org/evolut/bugsdoc.htm
License: Commercial
Single User Licence: $US 15.00 (or Beer)
(Unable to find link to download program however)
Partial Description: Bugs is an interactive graphic simulation of Darwinian evolution; specifically through survival of the fittest. This program is based on an idea presented in the May 1989 issue of Scientific American in an article titled “Simulated Evolution: wherein bugs learn to hunt bacteria”, by A. K. Dewdney.
The Programmers:This “project” (some call it a fiasco) was started by Pete “the Feet” Oehler when he decided that it was about time to see if the stuff they publish in Scientific American was worth its salt. Shannon “Poz” Posniewski happened upon the room as Pete was finishing the basic program and, with the help of Dan “Frodo” Wiesen, Iwan “Spokes” Axt, and Scott “Monkeyboy” Macneil came up with and coded a veritable plethora of enhancements. (Cotton candy, some called it.) Since it was a little too early to head down to their favorite downtown watering hole, Holmes and Watson Ltd. (simply “H&W’s” to aficionados) they hammered out over 500 lines of not so spiffy code. (It did spiffy things, but it wasn’t pretty.) Over the next couple days, the menus and “zoom” code was hammered out by Poz, Pete, and Frodo. This 800+ lines of much sweeter code is what was released as Version 0.8.
Some thought this was to be the end of the story. Much to their surprise (and disgust), Poz took the QuickBASIC program, casually threw away the reams of code and began work on a Turbo C version. The reason for the change in language (besides the obvious) was for an increase in speed. If you have a pre-2.0 version and compare it to this one you know what I mean. In any case, enough cotton candy was added to make even the most iron-stomached 12 year old sick and is now presented to you as Version 2.0. (Version 1.0 was a short-lived Turbo C cut.)
Pete, Poz, Frodo, Spokes, and Scott are all members of the Delta Phi Chapter of the Alpha Chi Rho Fraternity at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY. The original version (0.8) was written, unsurprisingly, during the two weeks prior to Finals week, Spring 1989. The Turbo C version (2.0) was worked on from the week after Finals until mid-June 1989.
