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INSUFFICIENT. "Langton observed that although the capacity for universal construction, as studied by von Neumann and Codd, is a sufficient condition for self-replication, it is not a necessary one. Furthermore, natural systems are probably not capable of universal construction." https://lnkd.in/dvjjarA View in LinkedIn

CELLULAR AUTOMATA. "Langton’s self-reproducing loop is one of the most famous models of self-reproduction using cellular automata." https://lnkd.in/dSdcD2A View in LinkedIn

"LANGTON LOOPS are a particular "species" of artificial life in a cellular automaton created in 1984 by Christopher Langton. They consist of a loop of cells containing genetic information, which flows continuously around the loop and out along an "arm" (or pseudopod), which will become the daughter loop. The "genes" instruct it to make three left turns, completing the loop, which then disconnects from its parent." https://lnkd.in/dX4P4qb View in LinkedIn

SO ENDS this first of two weekends contemplating the evolution of metabolism. Bewildering in its complexity, it has a small number of simple motifs. And many of these complexities have been repurposed over time, contributing to the complexity. In some cases by wholesale acquisition of pathways by horizontal gene transfers; in others, by huge macro events such as the Great Oxygenation which required a complete retooling. No wonder the wiring systems are not logical or simple. View in LinkedIn

COMMON MOTIFS. "Another characteristic of some natural products: the recurrence of certain structure types. Although we marvel at the seeming endless array of natural product structure types, note should be taken that many structure types, e.g. steroids, are used commonly across life." https://lnkd.in/dEpJBda View in LinkedIn

PRIMORDIAL SOUP. "Chou and Reggia explored the possibility of creating a CA universe, a ``primordial soup,'' in which self-replicating structures are not inoculated ab initio, but rather emerge in a spontaneous manner. Toward this end, they introduced a CA model in which the cellular state is divided into four distinct bit fields, thus facilitating the emergence of self-replication." (CA = cellular automata). https://lnkd.in/dn83zJW View in LinkedIn

ALMOST TABULA RASA. "This experiment was a proof-of-concept that an AI program could develop its own computer programs that perform a specific task. In that regard, it was a success. The AI was able to start with absolutely no knowledge of the target programming language and successfully learn how to generate a valid computer program, which when executed, solved a particular task." https://lnkd.in/ddNuyJD View in LinkedIn

DISPROVEN THEORY. "Francesco Redi disproved spontaneous generation for large organisms by showing that maggots arose from meat only when flies laid eggs in the meat. Louis Pasteur ended the debate with his famous swan-neck flask experiment, which allowed air to contact the broth. Microbes present in the dust were not able to navigate the tortuous bends in the neck of the flask." https://lnkd.in/dz3A2JN View in LinkedIn

BRAIN-FK* continued. "Mate the best genomes together using roulette selection, crossover, and mutation to produce a new generation. Repeat the process with the new generation until the target fitness score is achieved." https://lnkd.in/ddNuyJD View in LinkedIn

OLD DOGMA. "Spontaneous generation is the hypothesis that some vital force contained in or given to organic matter can create living organisms from inanimate objects. Spontaneous generation was a widely held belief throughout the middle ages and into the latter half of the 19th century." https://lnkd.in/dz3A2JN View in LinkedIn