Genetic-algorithm-based asteroseismological analysis of the DBV white dwarf GD 358

White dwarf asteroseismology offers the opportunity to probe the structure and composition of stellar objects governed by relatively simple physical p rinciples. The observational requirements of asteroseismology have been add ressed by the development of the Whole Earth Telescope (WET), but the analy tical procedures still need to be refined before this technique can yield t he complete physical insight that the data can provide. Toward this end, we have utilized a genetic-algorithm-based optimization method to fit our mod els to the observed pulsation frequencies of the DBV white dwarf GD 358 obt ained with the WET in 1990. This new approach has finally exploited the sen sitivity of our models to the core composition and will soon yield some int eresting constraints on nuclear reaction cross sections.