Progress in a-life

[xilman]

A virtual C. elegans can now wriggle. Next step is to hook up the nervous system and get it to make directed movements.

[omega_tyrant]

Great to see. I think we'll see a lot more progress with alife in the future as different, more powerful forms of computing become available. (hopefully)

[Drashner1]

Neat I wonder what might result when we can field enough computing power and know how to create self-evolving virtual ecosystems.

Todd

[xilman]

Neat I wonder what might result when we can field enough computing power and know how to create self-evolving virtual ecosystems.

Todd

We already can; just not at that level of detail.

One of the classic demonstrations of a chaotic system arises from a simulation of a hunter/prey ecosystem.

[Dalex]

Ecosystem simulation is relatively simple task however we encounter significant difficulties with increasing number of increasingly complex agents.
One way to go around this is to impose limits on their development but this causes stagnation. Other problem is environment, its size and variety is usually very limited.
If you want to try to raise you own alife you have many choices, perhaps most easy to use are titles from Creatures line of video games.
While technically a videogame and not simulations they employ simulated biochemistry, neural nets, machine learning and genetics to deliver very interesting artificial creatures.
With some mods you can evolve extremely interesting life forms.
Another choice is Framsticks or if you want to go to basics (prebiotic/biotic chemistry) Digihive.