[Nebullis]

For all the irreducible complexity fans.

[js1138]

Ohhhh! Thread flambe.

[stanz]

ping the old bulldogs list.

[Cedric]

If ya can't find the fossils, rig a computer program to "prove" your theory.

[Zavien Doombringer]

Arificial life explains evolution?

Life begets life

Artificial life begets artificial life

Artificail Life begets artificail evolution

Here's Evolution in the making.

[martianagent]

Interesting that this is a biological theory which they only seem to be able to demonstrate or produce on computer simulations.

[Nebullis]

The abstract:

The evolutionary origin of complex features

RE Lenski, C Ofria, RT Pennock, C Adami

A long-standing challenge to evolutionary theory has been whether it can explain the origin of complex organismal features. We examined this issue using digital organisms—computer programs that self-replicate, mutate, compete and evolve. Populations of digital organisms often evolved the ability to perform complex logic functions requiring the coordinated execution of many genomic instructions. Complex functions evolved by building on simpler functions that had evolved earlier, provided that these were also selectively favoured. However, no particular intermediate stage was essential for evolving complex functions. The first genotypes able to perform complex functions differed from their non-performing parents by only one or two mutations, but differed from the ancestor by many mutations that were also crucial to the new functions. In some cases, mutations that were deleterious when they appeared served as stepping-stones in the evolution of complex features. These findings show how complex functions can originate by random mutation and natural selection.

[nmh]

Your post is too humorous for words.

Amazing to what lengths athesits, oops evolutionists will go to to bolster their ridiculous theory. Something as sophisticated as the human body, didn't evolve out of nothing. Nothing comes from nothing. That is just OBVIOUS common sense for those who use their God given brains.

[f.Christian]

mr ...

There is a sub-set of lunatic loons who appear to wish the end of American society as we know it. Like the Nazis and the communists in Weimar Germany, they have a great deal in common as ... potential destroyers --- of the social fabric.

I have engaged in several debates in the last few days, and I admire FreeRepublic as a forum for the free expression of ideas, but the overwhelming presence of this bunch of loons is very off-putting.

Lenin is supposed to have said that capitalists would sell him the rope by which they were to be hung. The “anarcho-loons” on this forum would not bother to sell the rope but provide it as a public service.

401 posted on 05/06/2003 5:54 PM PDT by moneyrunner (I have not flattered its rank breath, nor bowed to its idolatries a patient knee.)

[ppaul]

Artificial life is not LIFE.
Evolution is a discredited religion.
Unfortunately, its adherents refuse to give up their faith.

[Carlucci]

Can someone point me to a scientific article that attempts to explain how Sexual reproduction (as opposed to asexual) evolved and why?

[Moonman62]

I guess we won't have to worry about coming up with new uses for more and more powerful computers.

[The_Reader_David]

Of course if one designs a sufficiently rich digital environment, with a designed in notion of "fitness" one can use stochastic processes to evolve more fit digital configurations from less fit ones. The process can surely be modeled by a classical dynamical system in which 'more fit' is embodied as minimizing free energy, in which case this is no more surprising that that random perterbations will cause a book standing on end in the middle of a table to fall over. (Of course, the book was purposefully placed there to demonstrate the effect. . .)

If evolutionary biology really embraces these computer models and manages to shape itself into a more predictive theory as a result, the result will be a stronger scientific theory, but one far less apt as a iron with which atheistic polemeicists can brand theists as obscurantist, retrograde and anti-scientific. After all the computer runs take place inside one of the most magnificent artifacts of human craft: a computer!

[RonF]

I have a question. Is there a conservative position on evolution?

[Doctor Stochastic]

I'm printing the paper now. Will comment late this afternoon or tonight after reading.

[Gee Wally]

These computer programs go forth and multiply, they mutate and they adapt by natural selection. ... The program, called Avida, is an artificial petri dish in which organisms not only reproduce, but also perform mathematical calculations to obtain rewards. Their reward is more computer time that they can use for making copies of themselves. Avida randomly adds mutations to the copies, thus spurring natural selection and evolution.

Is there a computer system that operates on a random clock cycle? Wouldn't the function yielding the random mutation have to be checked at the regular clock cycle of the computer system or some timer interval dependent upon the computer's clock cycle? Wouldn't that function have to have been programmed by somebody? Isn't the "random" function, in fact, not random, but dependent upon the computer's clock cycle and the program itself? Just wondering.

[Mamzelle]

re: "must have arisen ")))

Where would an explanation of evolution be, without the passive voice...?

[Theo]

A frog turning to a prince in a moment is a fairly tale. It's called "evolution" if you give the frog long enough....

[jwalsh07]

Cripes.

[BMCDA]

Cool article
Bookmarked ;)