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The behaviors observed can be summarized as follows:
•
Primeval soups in which no replicating loop is placed are generated by means of a
random distribution pattern biased towards the formation of small path
components.
•
Self-inspection and construction signals start a dynamic behavior in which some
path components degrade while some other are reconstructed and combined
together.
•
In genetic model experiments the dynamics induced by the construction signals do
not yield the formation of reproducing loops.
•
In self-inspecting model experiments the dynamics induced by the self-inspecting
signals originate the spontaneous emergence of replicators with a high probability.
•
Newborn replicating loops experiment phenotypic variation due to the interaction
with other units or with the environment.
•
Newborn replicating loops do not experiment genotypic variation because the self-
inspecting signal recovers the encoding of the loop's shape.
Our experimental results suggest that self-inspection based reproduction takes
advantage of the environmental irregularities far better than genetic reproduction. The
emergence of reproducing patterns seems to occur without difficulty in the former.
This is not surprising, since self-inspection based reproduction is a higher order
operation than pattern construction, and has fewer operating requirements than
genetic reproduction.
It can be interesting to note that a small amount of experiments suggest that self-
inspection reproduction could be a precursory stage for the genetic one. Although the
lack of additional experimental data doesn't allow to test further this hypothesis, it
seems conceivable an ulterior stage in which genetic reproducers would substitute the
earlier and more primitive self-inspecting entities. Thus, despite having a better
chance to trigger the reproduction dynamics, self-inspection would be taken over by
the evolutionary advantages of genetic reproduction.
References
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von Neumann J.: Theory of reproducing autómata, edited and completed by A.W. Burks,
University of Illinois Press(1966).
2.
Burks A.W.: Von Neumann's reproducing automata. In
Essays on cellular automata
,
edited by A.W. Burks. University of Illinois Press (1970).
3.
Thatcher J.W.: Universality in the von Neumann cellular model. In
Essays on cellular
automata
, edited by A.W. Burks. University of Illinois Press (1970).
4.
Langton C.G.: Self-reproduction in cellular automata. Physica
10
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5.
Perrier J.-Y., Sipper M. and Zahnd J.: Toward a viable, self-reproducing universal
computer. Physica
97
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6.
Byl J.: Self-reproduction in small cellular automata. Physica
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D (1989) 295-299.
7.
Reggia J.A., Armentrout S.L., Chou H.-H. and Peng Y.: Simple systems that exhibit self-
directed replication. Science
259
, 1282-1287 (1993).
8.
Tempesti G.: A new self-reproducing cellular automaton capable of construction and
computation. In
Advances in Artificial Life
,
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Morán, A. Moreno, J.J. Merelo and P. Chacón. Springer (1995).
