ALife Newsletter

Simulation Project: "What if Eye?" Summary by Claus The MIT Media Lab, Camera Culture group, has recently published a project called "What if Eye?". This project aims to computationally simulate the evolution of visual systems, from early light sensors to fully fledged lensed eyes.

ALife Videos Shared by Lana In this edition we have collected quite a few interesting videos, here they all are for your viewing pleasure! "The Physics of Living Systems" with Chris Kempes for "Reason with Science"

A long list of Conferences and Calls

The 21st edition of the #ALife newsletter is out!

This month we have a TON of ALife videos, 2 paper reviews, an amazing simulation and MORE!

alife-newsletter.github.io/Newsletter/e...

Creativity and ALife Abstract. Three forms of creativity are exemplified in biology and studied in ALife. Combinational creativity exists as the first step in genetic algorithms. Exploratory creativity is seen in models using cellular automata or evolutionary programs. Transformational creativity can result from evolutionary programming. Even radically novel forms can do so, given input from outside the program itself. Transformational creativity appears also in reaction-diffusion models of morphogenesis. That there are limits to biological creativity is suggested by ALife work bearing on instances of biological impossibility.

- Creativity and ALife (Boden, 2015): doi.org/10.1162/ARTL...
- The Cognitive Domain of a Glider in the Game of Life (Beer, 2014): doi.org/10.1162/ARTL...
- Toward a Formalization of Emergence (Kubi, 2003): direct.mit.edu/artl/...

Bridging Nonliving and Living Matter Abstract. Assembling non-biological materials (geomaterials) into a proto-organism constitutes a bridge between nonliving and living matter. In this article we present a simple step-by-step route to assemble a proto-organism. Many pictures have been proposed to describe this transition within the origins-of-life and artificial life communities, and more recently alternative pictures have been emerging from advances in nanoscience and biotechnology. The proposed proto-organism lends itself to both traditions and defines a new picture based on a simple idea: Given a set of required functionalities, minimize the physicochemical structures that support these functionalities, and make sure that all structures self-assemble and mutually enhance each other's existence. The result is the first concrete, rational design of a simple physicochemical system that integrates the key functionalities in a thermodynamically favorable manner as a lipid aggregate integrates proto-genes and a proto-metabolism. Under external pumping of free energy, the metabolic processes produce the required building blocks, and only specific gene sequences enhance the metabolic kinetics sufficiently for the whole system to survive. We propose an experimental implementation of the proto-organism with a discussion of our experimental results, together with relevant results produced by other experimental groups, and we specify what is still missing experimentally. Identifying the missing steps is just as important as providing the road map for the transition. We derive the kinetic and thermodynamic conditions of each of the proto-organism subsystems together with relevant theoretical and computational results about these subsystems. We present and discuss detailed 3D simulations of the lipid aggregation processes. From the reaction kinetics we derive analytical aggregate size distributions, and derive key properties of the metabolic efficiency and stability. Thermodynamics and kinetics of the ligation directed self-replication of the proto-genes is discussed, and we summarize the full life cycle of the proto-organism by comparing size, replication time, and energy with the biomass efficiency of contemporary unicells. Finally, we also compare our proto-organism picture with existing origins-of-life and protocell pictures.By assembling one possible bridge between nonliving and living matter we hope to provide a piece in the ancient puzzle about who we are and where we come from.

- Bridging Nonliving and Living Matter (Rasmussen et al, 2003): doi.org/10.1162/1064...
- Artificial Life: Discipline or Method? (Noble et al., 2000): doi.org/10.1162/1064...
- Emotion as Morphofunctionality (Pérez and Sanz, 2013): doi.org/10.1162/ARTL...

Why Do We Need Artificial Life? Abstract. In this paper, we ask the question of whether we need artificial life (AL) at all. We find a lot of convincing arguments in favor of AL, but we also point out some dangers AL is exposed to. This careful epistemological review reveals the potential richness of AL without being either too reductionist or too holistic. We give some examples showing how this can be done in practice, and conclude that almost everybody needs AL.

- Why Do We Need Artificial Life? (Bonabeau and Theraulaz, 1994): doi.org/10.1162/artl...
- Four Puzzles About ALife (Bedau, 1998): doi.org/10.1162/1064...
- Artificial Life and the Chinese Room Argument (Anderson and Copeland, 2002): doi.org/10.1162/1064...

- Primer for ALife Art (Penny, 2009): escholarship.org/con...
- Active Mutation in Self-Reproducing Networks of Machines and Tapes (Ikegami and Hashimoto, 1995): doi.org/10.1162/artl...

What is Life—in Everyday Understanding? A Focus Group Study on Lay Perspectives on the Term Life Abstract. The philosophical and scientific debate about definitions of life-as-we-know-it and its value is very diverse. How do non-biologists characterize these issues? We held focus groups to shed light on the role of the term life in laypeople's understanding. Results show that features of early childhood cognition dominate the understanding of the term life even in adulthood. Textbook knowledge and definitions derived from specific knowledge systems and beliefs are of minor importance. For an ethical differentiation between life forms the ability to feel and to suffer is seen as the crucial criterion. We conclude that lay perspectives on the concept of life can shape a normative discourse on existing as well as on new life forms in a crucial way. In addition, these perspectives may also strongly influence the expectations towards the life-as-it-could-be that is brought forward by the artificial life community. While some concepts like metabolism exist both in scientific and in everyday reasoning as criteria for life, the normative discussion on life is dominated by such ideas as a hierarchical order of living kinds, which emphasize “easy to think” concepts of a moral differentiation. These can also form a basis for the moral standing of artificial life.

Whether you’re new to the community or been involved for decades, we’re sure you’ll have plenty of chin-scratching moments by visiting or revisiting these:

- What is Life—in Everyday Understanding? A Focus Group Study on Lay Perspectives on the Term "Life" (Kerbe, 2016): direct.mit.edu/artl/...

A pile of papers in lineart

Twelve Thought-Provoking Papers

On the 12th day of ALife Xmas, the newsletter gave to me: Twelve Thought-Provoking Papers! Here is a selection of ALife papers with a slightly philosophical edge that have (mostly) featured in the Artificial Life journal over the years.

- The ALife conference’s Art Contest: every year, the conference feature art pieces related to ALife.

ALIFE 2023 About the Contest

- The ALife conference’s Student Literature Contest (sites.google.com/vie...): a yearly contest of essays on the theme of the conference
- The Evolution Prize (www.panspermia.org/e...): 17 years unclaimed, $100,00 for a demonstration of open-ended evolutionary innovation in a closed system

- This very ALife Newsletter (alife-newsletter.git...), subscribe at forms.gle/DeEvU2mwDK... !
- The Virtual Creatures Competition (sites.google.com/vie...): A yearly competition for the title of best virtual creature

- BiotaCast (https://biotacast.org/): A podcast about things ALife with developers, academics and users
- Complexity Explorer (www.complexityexplor...): online courses, tutorials, and resources for the study of complex systems

- ISAL's ALife News Aggregator (alife.org/online-res...): The latest news and papers about ALife from around the web
- Artificial Life Teaching Materials (github.com/isal-alif...): Lecture slides, exercises and other stuff for teachers and students

GitHub - imytk/alife_journal Contribute to imytk/alife_journal development by creating an account on GitHub.

We have you covered!

- The ALife journal library (github.com/imytk/ali...): a list of all the papers (+metadata!) published in the ALife journal since its beginning
- The ALife wiki (alife.org/encyclopedia/): a wiki where any ISAL member can contribute

The ISAL logo

Eleven Rich Community Resources

On the 11th day of ALife Xmas, the newsletter gave to me: Eleven rich community resources to engage with and contribute to! Are you looking for teaching material, definitions of common ALife terms, or a contest to participate in?

GitHub - devosoft/avida Contribute to devosoft/avida development by creating an account on GitHub.

- Avida - Simulation of Evolving Programs: github.com/devosoft/...
- PicBreeder - Interactive Evolution for generating Art: nbenko1.github.io/#/

GitHub - Lehnart/alife: A project to share on artificial life(Alife in short). It is essentially cellular automata but you could find also L-systems, swarm intelligence, physic simulations, etc. A project to share on artificial life(Alife in short). It is essentially cellular automata but you could find also L-systems, swarm intelligence, physic simulations, etc. - GitHub - Lehnart/alife: ...

- Evoloop - Several small alife simulation projects gathered together: github.com/Lehnart/a...
- Bibites - Brain Simulation using Unity: www.youtube.com/@The...
- Orb Farm - A small and relaxing aquarium simulation on your desktop: https://orb.farm/

ApeSDK / apesdk · GitLab The ApeSDK was started in 1996. It features a number of autonomous simulation components including: landscape, biological, weather, sentient creature, a simple intelligent-agent scripting language (ApeScript).

- ApeSDK - Multi-Agent Simulation System: gitlab.com/apesdk/ap...
- Swarm Chemistry - Artificial Chemistry SImulation: bingdev.binghamton.e...
- OpenPraparat - Cellular Automata Simulation: github.com/A5size/Op...

GitHub - Chakazul/Lenia: Lenia - Mathematical Life Forms Lenia - Mathematical Life Forms. Contribute to Chakazul/Lenia development by creating an account on GitHub.

- Lenia - Game of Life in the continuous space: github.com/Chakazul/...
- alien - Artificial LIfe ENvironment - GPU accelerated Artificial Life: alien-project.org
- Tierra - One of the earliest Alife simulations: web.stanford.edu/cla...

Simulation of an environment? Yes. Language? Sure. Evolution? Of course. Something more abstract? We got that too. GPU Acceleration? Oh yeah! If you are going to make a new ALife simulation, make sure to check these ones out first!

Game of Life illustration

Ten Scintillating Simulations

On the tenth day of ALife Xmas, the newsletter gave to me: Ten Scintillating Simulations of living systems doing their thing in silicon. You probably heard of some of them, but we are sure there is something in these links which will surprise you!

- Blade Runner: en.wikipedia.org/wik...
- The Bicentennial Man: en.wikipedia.org/wik...
- Ex Machina (2014): www.imdb.com/title/t...
- Humans (TV Series 2015–2018): www.imdb.com/title/t...
- RUR (Rossum Universal Robots): en.wikipedia.org/wik....

- Children of Time: en.wikipedia.org/wik...
- Frankenstein: www.gutenberg.org/fi...
- Lifecycle of Software Objects: en.wikipedia.org/wik...

future society, artificial intelligence, sentience, and what it means to be a living being deserving of rights. Grab a nice couch, and dive in these words! Maybe your next research idea will come from one of these?

- Permutation City: en.wikipedia.org/wik...

A movie reel in black and white lineart

Nine Fascinating Fictions

On the ninth day of ALife Xmas, the newsletter gave to me: Nine fascinating fictions that will certainly delight the ALifers out there. The links today introduce several books and movies that involve themes such as...

- Grandroids - Game inspired by Artificial Life: www.kickstarter.com/...)
- ANLIFE: Motion-Learning Life Evolution: store.steampowered.c...
- Universal Paperclips - A short Web game that discusses the meaning of life in an Artificial Mind: www.decisionproblem....

- Creatures - Computer game about agents with brains that evolve with Genetic Algorithms: en.wikipedia.org/wik...
- Dwarf Fortress - A world simulated from its history to the fingers and teeth of every creature living in it: www.bay12games.com/d...

- Screeps - Online Battle between programmable swarm robots: https://screeps.com
- "Photosynthesis" - Boardgame about plant life development: boardgamegeek.com/bo...
- Spore - Computer game about evolving from a cell to a spacefaring race: http://www.spore.com/

such as complex simulations, evolution, adaptation, alien worlds and alien lifeforms; and above all: “life as it could be”. Take some time to remember how people explored these ideas in the past, or maybe try something new to play during the end of the year break!

A game controller in black and white lineart

Eight Gripping Games

On the eighth day of ALife Xmas, the newsletter gave to me: Eight gripping games that remind us of Artificial Life! These are digital and physical games in the past, present, and future; they play with ideas that are dear to our research,

AGU AbSciCon 2024 Join colleagues in the astrobiology community for the biennial AGU AbSciCon.

- Astrobiology Conference (AbSciCon, 5 - 10 May, Providence, USA): www.agu.org/abscicon