Year: 2022

SO ENDS this two weekend contemplation on the genetic code. Once again, the influence of microbial horizontal gene transfer has contributed to the conservation of the genetic code in unrelated living cells. It seems very likely other variant codes will be discovered. Whether there are creatures that can reproduce with hugely different genetic structures awaits to be seen, but is very relevant to the search for new life both on earth, and elsewhere. View in LinkedIn

IGNORE TIME. "Why wait another billion years for genome improvement, when you can take evolution into your own hands?" (Karl Sims). https://lnkd.in/dD4T763 View in LinkedIn

KARL SIMS WAS THE FIRST big name in "evolved viral life" or "artificial life". Inspired by his work, many others explored this space, including some who made significant contributions. https://lnkd.in/dh-4NJm View in LinkedIn

LANDMARK PUBLICATION. Competition between Evolved Virtual Creatures (Karl Sims). https://lnkd.in/d5p72pa View in LinkedIn

INSPIRATIONAL. "Sims’ work has inspired several other works on three-dimensional virtual creatures." https://lnkd.in/dW4WdiC View in LinkedIn

KARL SIMS, a digital media artist, computer graphics scientist, and entrepreneur (GenArts, special effects software); he worked at: Thinking Machines Corp, Optomystic, and Whitney/Demos Productions. Education: MIT Media Lab, and MIT undergraduate degree (life sciences). Awards included ARS Electronica Golden Nincas and McArthur "Genius Grant". http://www.karlsims.com/ View in LinkedIn

SIM'S MENAGERIE. "A population of several hundred creatures is created within a supercomputer, and each creature is tested for their ability to perform a given task, such the ability to swim in a simulated water environment. The successful survive, and their virtual genes containing coded instructions for their growth, are copied, combined, and mutated to make offspring for a new population. The new creatures are again tested, and some may be improvements on their parents. As this cycle of variation and selection continues, creatures with more and more successful behaviors can emerge." https://lnkd.in/dfYmYWR View in LinkedIn

MAN'S IMAGINATION may arguably be the greatest asset of the human species, but it is infinitely dwarfed by the raw creativity of nature's boundless forms. Even undirected random mutation devices can construct the unimaginable. View in LinkedIn

INFLUENCE OF THE DESIGNER. "The ability of most artificial evolutionary systems is primarily limited by the interpreter that defines the man-made elementary functions. For example, the ability of genetic programming is determined by a set of terminal functions prepared by the designer." https://lnkd.in/d-nkQc4 View in LinkedIn

"IMAGINATION was given to man to compensate for what he is not; a sense of humour to console him for what he is." (Francis Bacon). View in LinkedIn