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Heredity, Complexity, and Surprise: Embedded Self-Replication and Evolution in CA

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Cellular Automata (ACRI 2004)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNCS,volume 3305))

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Abstract

This paper reviews the history of embedded, evolvable self-replicating structures implemented as cellular automata systems. We relate recent advances in this field to the concept of the evolutionary growth of complexity, a term introduced by McMullin to describe the central idea contained in von Neumann’s self-reproducing automata theory. We show that conditions for such growth are in principle satisfied by universal constructors, yet that in practice much simpler replicators may satisfy scaled-down – yet equally relevant – versions thereof. Examples of such evolvable self-replicators are described and discussed, and future challenges identified.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. of Human Communication, University of Electro-Communications, Japan

    Chris Salzberg & Hiroki Sayama

  2. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, University of Tokyo, Japan

    Chris Salzberg

Authors
  1. Chris Salzberg
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  2. Hiroki Sayama
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Sciences, Section of Computational Science, University of Amsterdam, Kruislaan 403, 1098 SJ, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Peter M. A. Sloot

  2. Computer Science Department, University of Geneva, Switzerland

    Bastien Chopard

  3. Section Computational Science, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Alfons G. Hoekstra

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© 2004 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Salzberg, C., Sayama, H. (2004). Heredity, Complexity, and Surprise: Embedded Self-Replication and Evolution in CA. In: Sloot, P.M.A., Chopard, B., Hoekstra, A.G. (eds) Cellular Automata. ACRI 2004. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 3305. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-30479-1_17

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-30479-1_17

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-23596-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-540-30479-1

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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