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Alife Digest Number 053
ALIFE LIST: Artificial Life Research List Number 53 Tuesday, February 26th 1991
ARTIFICIAL LIFE RESEARCH ELECTRONIC MAILING LIST
Maintained by the Indiana University Artificial Life Research Group
Contents:
digests (lack of)
from chris
al questions / request for info
Two Technical Reports Available from IlliGAL
Darwinian Metaphysics (;-) etc.
Public-domain Simulator Request
Alife in UK...How about Edinburgh University??
LSYS Software using GNU C++ Compiler
Intro and Help
ALife at University of Delaware
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Tue, 26 Feb 91 14:23:11 -0500
From: Elisabeth Freeman <bfreeman@copper.ucs.indiana.edu>
Subject: digests (lack of)
Some of you have noticed a lack of digests recently and the reason
is that our machine here has been very flakey lately, crashing almost
every day. When we send a digest out, and the machine goes down
before all the mail has been processed (which takes 2-3 days sometimes),
when the machine is brought back up, it often resends digests to people.
This sometimes leads to many people getting 2 or 3 copies of one digest.
So, we have been waiting to send digests when the machine seems to be
in a reliable phase.
Beth Freeman
P.S. The machine has been repaired and seems ok. We are going to
repost some of the previous digest because it seems to have been cut
off by machine problems.
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 6 Jan 91 10:30:49 -0500
From: Marek Lugowski <aliferg@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu>
Subject: from chris
At long last, here is the list of the papers that will be published in the
proceedings of the second workshop on Artificial Life, held in Santa Fe,
New Mexico, Feb. 5-9, 1990. A copy of this announcement has been sent to all
contributors. The proceedings themselves should be available sometime in March
or April of 1991.
We apologize for the long delay in selecting the final set of papers. The
review/revision cycle took *much* longer than anticipated.
As was the case with the first proceedings, we received many more papers than
we could possibly publish. Over 60 papers were submitted, about 40 of which
made it through the review process relatively intact. We would love to have
published all 40 of these papers, but this was simply not possible. Therefore,
overall diversity and breadth of coverage were major factors in the selection
of the final set of papers. As with the first proceedings, we wanted these
proceedings to reflect the wide range of approaches that were displayed at the
workshop itself. We also gave preference to work which was NOT reported in the
proceedings of the first workshop, unless there had been significant new
progress to report.
Please keep in mind that a journal on Artificial Life will be starting up
within the next year, and we hope that you will consider submitting future work
to that journal. Also, the 3rd Artificial Life workshop will be held in the
Spring of 1992. We will be sending more information on the Alife journal and
the next workshop early next year, when more details have been arranged.
Finally, our thanks to everybody for all the time and effort that you have put
into your contributions to these proceedings. We are very happy with the overall
scientific quality of the result, and are confident that this book will help to
establish the field of Artificial Life as a vital area of scientific research.
Thanks again!
Christopher G. Langton
(for the Editors)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Papers selected for the Proceedings
of the
Second Artificial Life Workshop
Interaction between Learning and Evolution
D.H. Ackley and M.L. Littman
Emergence of Robust Autocatalytic Networks
R.J. Bagley and J.D. Farmer
Elements D'Epistemologie Fabulatoire
L. Bec
Evolving Networks: Using the Genetic Algorithm with Connectionist Learning
R.K. Belew, J. McInerney, and N.N. Schraudolph
Selfstructuring and Selection: Spiral Waves as a Substrate for Prebiotic Evolution
M.C. Boerlijst and P. Hogeweg
Emergence and Artificial Life
P. Cariani
AntFarm: Towards Simulated Evolution
R.J. Collins and D. Jefferson
Analysis and Simulation of the Development of Cellular Layers
M. De Boer, D. Fracchia, and P. Prusinkiewicz
Artificial Life: The Coming Evolution.
J.D. Farmer
Agorithmic Chemistry
W. Fontana
Co-Evolving Parasites Improve Simulated Evolution as an Optimization Parameter
W.D. Hillis
Learning in the Cultural Process
E. Hutchins and B. Hazlehurst
The Genesys System: Evolution as a Theme in Artificial Life
D. Jefferson, R. Collins, C. Cooper, M. Dyer, M. Flowers, R. Korf,
C. Taylor, and A. Wang
Coevolution to the Edge of Chaos
S. Kauffman
Genetic Evolution and Co-Evolution of Computer Programs
J.R. Koza
Life at the Edge of Chaos
C.G. Langton
Evolutionary Phenomena in Simple Dynamics
K. Lindgren
Synthetic Ethology: An Approach to the Study of Communication
B. MacLennan
Measurement of Evolutionary Activity and Teleology
M.A. Bedau and N.H. Packard
Dynamics of Programmable Matter
S. Rasmussen, C. Knudsen, and R. Feldberg
An Approach to the Synthesis of Artificial Life
T.S. Ray
Evolutionary Optimization in an Artificial RNA World
P. Schuster
Simple Nontrivial Self-Reproducing Machines
A.R. Smith
Learning From Functionalism
E. Sober
Computer Viruses - A Form of Artificial Life?
E.H. Spafford
"Non-optimality" via Preadaptation in Simple Neural Systems
E.G. Stork, B. Jackson, and S. Walker
Evolution of Communication in Artificial Organisms
G.M. Werner and M.G. Dyer
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 11 Jan 91 10:05:07 EST
From: clairday@eds.com (Matt Clairday)
Subject: al questions / request for info
I have never posted to this group, but I must say first that it is a
fascinating area, and I very much enjoy reading about this field of
research. I have several questions/ideas:
1) Are there any small, experimental programs in C or shell scripts that
demonstrate basic AL principles? I would like to get examples that could
be run on UNIX workstations (apollo, hp, sun). Is anything available on
the net?
2) I read in the group previously about a 1980 NASA report describing a
self-replicating lunar factory. I wonder if anyone can tell me if this
report develops a business case for privately funding such a venture.
It seems to me that a consortium of companies might have an interest in
this. Self-replicating machines offer phenomenal prospects for increasing
productivity and the standard of living for all of us. I would
appreciate any more info on this. Perhaps we could brainstorm a
business proposal to put this together !
3) Are there companies that have al products available now in the marketplace?
I am especially wondering about products that address niche applications.
Please email to me, and I can post a summary, if there is general interest.
Thanks.
Matt Clairday
EDS Corporation
Troy, Michigan
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 17 Jan 91 06:34:40 CST
From: "David E. Goldberg" <GOLDBERG@vmd.cso.uiuc.edu>
Subject: Two Technical Reports Available from IlliGAL
Two technical reports are available from the Illinois Genetic
Algorithms Laboratory. "Real-coded genetic algorithms, virtual alphabets,
and blocking" (IlliGAL Report No. 90001), describes a mechanism of convergence
consistent with the schema theorem for real-coded GAs (RCGAs) and
Evolutionsstrategien. The paper suggests that selection chooses
virtual alphabets dimension by dimension during the early stages of the GA;
these alphabets are ultimately searched through the combined
action of selection and recombination. The paper uses this theory to
predict the existence of problems that are blocked from effective RCGA
search, because the global optimum is surrounded by local optima in a
particular way.
"Construction of high-order deceptive functions using low-order Walsh
coefficients"(IlliGAL Report No.90002) constructs partially and fully deceptive
functions using low-order Walsh coefficients. This result debunks the
folktheorem floating around that high-order deception implies high-order
non-zero Walsh coefficients. The construction leads to a more complete
theory of functions of unitation (functions whose value depends only
on the number of ones and zeroes in the argument). These ideas are used
to help explain some of Tanese's puzzling empirical results with parallel
GAs applied to partial Walsh sums of bounded order.
To receive copies of either or both of these reports please send a
request to goldberg@vmd.cso.uiuc.edu. Include your postal address, as
these reports are available in hard copy only.
Dave Goldberg
Dept. of General Engineering
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
117 Transportation Bldg
104 S. Mathews Avenue
Urbana, IL 61801
(217)333-0897
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 28 Jan 91 12:50 GMT
From: BARRY MCMULLIN <75008378%dcu.ie@pucc.princeton.edu>
Subject: Darwinian Metaphysics (;-) etc.
Darwinian Metaphysics,
Replicators,
Vehicles,
and
The Evolution of Evolvability.
[Alife Digest has been a bit quiet of late, so here's an attempt to
stimulate some discussion...]
Richard Dawkins introduced the notion of the ``evolution of
evolvability'' in his paper of that name at the first Alife workshop
(1987). In that paper he suggests that, contrary to his own previous
intuitions, some form of *cumulative* species selection may be
significant for the emergence of such ``evolvability''.
I'm trying to sort out what Dawkins really means (or should mean?) in
terms of his own darwinian metaphysics of replicators and vehicles. He
does not comment on this point explicitly in his workshop paper. In the
new edition of ``The Selfish Gene'' (1989) he refers to the workshop
paper as follows (p. 269):
... Of course, the evolving that we are talking about here is still the
same old evolution, mediated via selection on genes ... There can be a
kind of higher-level selection for embryologies that lend themselves to
evolution: a selection in favour of evolvability...
I won't quote the whole paragraph. He does not explicitly refer to
replicators or vehicles here either, but, reading between the lines, he
seems to equivocate between saying evolution of evolvability may
involve a distinct kind of replicator (``species evolution''?), and
saying that it does not (the vehicles may be different, but we're
talking about the same old replicators).
It is in ``The Extended Phenotype'' (1982) that Dawkins provides his
most comprehensive discussion of replicators and vehicles (isn't it?),
and this is also the work he cites in his workshop paper as indicating
his earlier doubts about the possibility of cumulative species
selection. He seems somewhat ambivalent here also. On p.82 he boldly
states that ``groups of organisms [inc. species?] are best not regarded
as replicators; they are *vehicles* in which replicators travel about'';
but, by p.109 we have the concession (if concession it be) that ``there
may be a case for regarding the gene-pool of a reproductively isolated
group, such as a species, as a replicator'' (this is then followed by
the rider that, at that time at least, Dawkins thought that this, if it
happened at all, was still ``unlikely to explain complex adaptation'').
To restate my question: in the context of the argument for the evolution
of evolvability, should we think of the replicators as good old genes
(small genetic fragments), or as gene pools, or as something else, or
does it matter? Dawkins has not been explicit on this, as far
as I can see, so I'd appreciate any opinions or arguments.
[PS: you all may wonder what the point of this rather intricate query
is---and whether it has any relevance to Alife. Briefly, I suggest that
nothing in (artificial) biology makes sense without (artificial)
evolution; therefore we need to abstract evolution from its original
(terrestrial) biological context; to do this we need, among other
things, an abstract metaphysical foundation such as that offered by
Dawkins (perhaps unwittingly); and I'm having *severe* problems
digesting the latter, which problems are manifested in one small way by
the question raised above. Sigh...]
[PPS: at the end of the day, I don't really have that much confidence in
Dawkins' metaphysics as an appropriate vehicle (;-) for use in Alife at
all; but that is a discussion for some other time---like after I've
*finished* writing my dissertation for example...]
Thanks,
Barry McMullin,
Dublin City University.
<McMullinB@DCU.IE>
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 29 Jan 91 21:27:59 EST
From: Roberto Zamparelli <roberto@prodigal.psych.rochester.edu>
Subject: Public-domain Simulator Request
I am interested in doing experiments using simple neural networks to
"animate" food-searching agents in an artificial environment. The
weights in the networks should be changed by selection, on the base of
how successful the agent was in finding food. There would be NO
LEARNING and NO STRUCTURAL MODIFICATIONS in the networks -- only
evolution from random changes in the weights.
The Universe would be a grid of cells, where food appears and
disappears at random (unless it's eaten).
Does anybody know if there are public-domain simulators that can do this
job, or close enough? C, LISP or PASCAL would be fine.
Since the code should be modified and adapted, a clean, reasonably
well-documented code would be critical.
Thanks,
Roberto Zamparelli
Cognitive Science Program,
University of Rochester
reply to:
roberto@psych.rochester.edu
------------------------------
Subject: Alife in UK...How about Edinburgh University??
Date: Wed, 30 Jan 91 10:31:11 MST
From: wade troxell <wade@longs.lance.colostate.edu>
Geoff Ballinger from Edinburgh asks:
>> Does anybody out there know of anyone who is working in Alife in a
UK university ...?
I read Geoff's AL Digest posting with perplexity as he does not even imply that his
department has an active research program. Tim Smithers is one of the
leading ALresearchers
in the Department of AI at Edinburgh University. Tim's research on
the RUR project (along with
John Hallam) and his his Intelligent Sensing and Control lab is
yielding important results that
have implications to the AL body of knowledge, particularly those doing
only computer simulations
and not confirming their findings ``in the real world.'' Geoff
should read Edinburgh Dept of AI
Research Reports Nos. 489 and 490 and become more aware of happenings
there in Edinburgh.
Wade Troxell
Dept. of Mechanical Engineering
Colorado State University
Fort Collins, Colorado
(303) 491-6618
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 3 Feb 91 20:05:49 -0500
From: "Paul Fishwick" <fishwick@fish.cis.ufl.edu>
Subject: LSYS Software using GNU C++ Compiler
Has anyone gotten the L-Systems software (located in the alife
software directory) to work using GNU C++ instead of SUN C++ ?
I tried to make the program and it failed. I'm using a SPARCStation
1+ and have the GNU software C++,C,Bison,Flex,etc. in addition
to the usual stuff. Thanks!
-paul f.
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Prof. Paul A. Fishwick.............. INTERNET: fishwick@fish.cis.ufl.edu|
| Complex Systems and Simulation Group UUCP: gatech!uflorida!fishwick |
| Dept. of Computer Science........... PHONE: (904) 392-1414 |
| University of Florida............... FAX: (904) 392-1220 |
| Bldg. CSE, Room 301................. |
| Gainesville, FL 32611............... |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 12 Feb 91 21:40 CST
From: JHDCI@canal.crc.uno.edu
Subject: Intro and Help
I am a doctoral student in education at the University of New Orleans and
am planning on writing my dissertation on some form of simulation as it
applies to education...e.g., class room simulation, curriculum sim., trend
sim., etc. ad nauseum. I have been avidly reading everything I can get my
hands on concerning neural nets, complexity, genetic algorithms, cellular
automata, emergence, and anything else that appears nonlinear. There
appears to be more than enough literature. I have been especially impressed
with "Genetic Algorithms..." by David Goldberg although I am having a little
trouble in reading the PASCAL code (I, unfortunately write in QuickBasic).
Chris Langton's writings have also influenced my thinking and given me a
mad desire to create an "Artificial School."
My desires are for a reasonably simple computer simulation program (public
domain if possible) that can be run on a PC. I would also like to do more
reading on GA's and artificial life. I have already copied the digests from
ALife, Neuron, and Simulator and am plowing through them as fast as possible.
It would also be nice to see some more genetic algorithm code (even in PASCAL,
I can read it at about the same speed I read Urdu).
Any info that any of you could send me, FTP addresses, product names, people
to contact would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you all for your help.
Jack DeGolyer [JHDCI@UNO.EDU]
University of New Orleans
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 25 Feb 91 11:41:12 -0500
From: Thomas Ray <ray@chopin.udel.edu>
Subject: ALife at University of Delaware
This message was distributed internally to the University of Delaware
Artificial Life group. I thought that other AL fans might be interested
to know what we are up to:
We haven't met as a group for some time, so I thought I would send out
this progress report.
TECHNOLOGY REVIEW ARTICLE - The next issue of Technology Review (April/May),
due out in early March, will include an article on Artificial Life. They
will describe (among other things) the work of our group, and will include
a series of four photos of the ALmond Monitor of Tierra that Marc Cygnus
has developed.
ALMOND TALKS - Marc Cygnus has got the ALmond monitor program talking to
the Tierra simulator using network communications. We can now have multiple
simulators running on multiple machines, and monitor them from multiple
monitors on multiple machines. The monitors can attach to and detach from
the simulators without disturbing them.
AL AND GA - Chris Bryden has completed his term paper discussing the
relationships between artificial life and genetic algorithms.
THE MATRIX OF LIFE - John Billon has completed his independent study by
exploring the possibility of implementing an artificial life system in a
matrix based environment.
THE GENETIC LANGUAGE - Dan Pirone has designed a much more powerful version
of the Tierran language, and has the bulk of the new instruction set coded.
The syntax is much more complex than the original Tierran. We are hoping that
it will be as evolvable.
AUTECOLOGY - Over winter session I automated the analysis of ecological
interactions between creatures. Now when genotypes are saved to disk, the
code that is actually executed is marked, to distinguish it from "junk"
(unexecuted) code. Also, the basic classes of ecological relationships have
been identified, and the interactions engaged in by a genotype are marked in
a bit field that is saved with each genotype.
IRISVILLE OPENS - The two Silicon Graphics machines and the Sun in 114 Wolf
are up and running and on the net. life.slhs.udel.edu is a 4D25TG Personal
Iris with 32MB of memory and a 1.2 GB disk. tierra.slhs.udel.edu is a
4D258 (Iris) Data Station Server with 32MB of memory and a 1.2 GB disk.
genie.slhs.udel.edu is a Sun 3/60 with 8MB of memory, about 300 MB of disk,
and a color monitor. The Irises are rated at 16 MIPS each, and the Sun at
about 4 MIPS. These machines are for the exclusive use of the School of
Life and Health Sciences (SLHS), which so far has meant just for the alife
group. The two Irises have been running the Tierra simulator around the
clock since they came up.
Tom Ray
University of Delaware
School of Life & Health Sciences
Newark, Delaware 19716
ray@brahms.udel.edu
302-451-2281 (FAX)
302-451-2753
------------------------------
End of ALife Digest
********************************
