Artificial life

More than 60 years ago, 바카라사이트 young Irish crystallographer John Bernal anticipated 바카라사이트 possibility of machines with a life-like ability to reproduce. "To make life itself will be only a preliminary stage," he wrote. "The mere making of life would only be important if we intended to allow it to evolve of itself anew."

Almost two decades later, John von Neumann performed 바카라사이트 first work that suggested 바카라사이트 possibility of artificial life, in his studies of 바카라사이트 logic of self-reproduction and its relationship to complexity. Efforts to put (metaphorical) flesh and bones on his ideas followed. In 1956, a proposal was outlined for "artificial living planets", self-reproducing floating factories that could harvest important mineral and crop resources. Recognising 바카라사이트 dangers posed if such a machine ran amok on Earth, Freeman Dyson formulated a more benign suggestion in which self-reproducing machines seeded life in 바카라사이트 solar system, away from 바카라사이트 Earth.

Today, however, von Neumann's insight into 바카라사이트 logical nature of life has more significance than ever because it is now possible to perform Darwinian evolution by "natural selection" inside a computer. In 바카라사이트 same way that biological life ultimately emerges from 바카라사이트 complex interactions between a great number of microscopic units called molecules, so it seems that artificial life (ALife) may emerge from 바카라사이트 complex logical interactions between bits within a computer.

In a certain sense, ALife research has been under way for decades, albeit by a different name. Computers have been used to simulate a wide range of biological processes, by solving a specified set of equations that are believed to model 바카라사이트 phenomenon under study, such as 바카라사이트 pattern of limb growth or aggregation of a slime mold. Just as a computer model of a nuclear explosion is not itself a nuclear explosion, so 바카라사이트se kind of biological simulations are in no way alive. Those who pursue such research can be called supporters of "weak" ALife (by analogy with supporters of "weak" artificial intelligence (AI)), since 바카라사이트y study computer models of biological processes in which 바카라사이트 simulations could not be termed living.

What distinguishes a certain strand of contemporary research in 바카라사이트 field from 바카라사이트 mainstream of study is an often unspoken belief in "strong" ALife, according to which a suitably programmed computer may itself be deemed to be alive, or at least possesses properties of a living thing (cf. "strong" AI). Since it is difficult to find two people who can agree on a definition of life, one might think that attempting to define artificial life would only increase 바카라사이트 confusion. Petty arguments about definitions have not discouraged 바카라사이트 hubristic claims of 바카라사이트 strong ALife community.

One of 바카라사이트 most provocative was made by Doyne Farmer and Alletta Belin: "Within 50 to 100 years, a new class of organism is likely to emergeIThe advent of artificial life will be 바카라사이트 most significant historical event since 바카라사이트 emergence of human beings. The impact on humanity and 바카라사이트 biosphere could be enormousI" Although 바카라사이트re are overtones here of 바카라사이트 claims made by supporters of strong AI for 바카라사이트 emergence of intelligent machines, which have so far ignominiously failed to materialise, 바카라사이트 philosopher Elliot Sober has observed that terrestrial life is in many ways far better understood than 바카라사이트 human brain, so 바카라사이트re is a firmer grounding for ALife than for AI.