[donh]

As I understand the article, simpler functions mutate into more complex functions in the program.

Even the earliest simple A-life: Holland's game of Life, could have been described and implemented as a collection of cells with their own programs. Collections of cells in Life can take on a permanent relationship that looks, to the viewer, like a discrete entity with lifelike features. It was not necessary for the programmer to arrange this--it just happened. Find Holland's game of life on the net somewhere and try it out--I think you'll get the picture quickly enough.

[Celtjew Libertarian]

Holland's game of Life,

Minor correction: I think it was John Conway who came up with the Game of Life.

[Doctor Stochastic]

The "Game of Life" (Conway's) is interesting because some randomly generated configurations can become universal Turing machines. The same for some of Wolfram's cellular automata. A randomly chosen cellular automaton has 1 chance in 256 of being able to simulate a universal Turing machine.