Artificial life: an overview

ARTIFICIAL LIFE (ALIFE) IS A RECENT FIELD OF STUDY, IN WHICH manmade constr ucts are used to investigate the properties of natural living systems. Comp uter-based simulations serve as the primary platform for the research. In s uch environments, software entities are endowed with properties that mirror those of natural organisms, such as the tendency to consume resources, to congregate, to produce offspring, and to evolve over time. The simulations allow for flexibility in setting and experimenting with simulated propertie s. Most importantly, runs simulating the birth and death of many generation s of ALife entities can take place within minutes or hours, freeing the res earcher from the constraints imposed by the biological time scales within w hich natural Living systems evolve. This article is intended as a broad introduction to ALife, outlining the hi story of its development as well as the background and context against whic h this has taken place. It identifies distinguishing properties of natural living systems in terms of the main theoretical and practical ALife researc h issues. It surveys Various disciplines that deal with natural living syst ems and that influence ALife research or are in turn influenced by it. Seve ral tools and techniques are described that emanate from ALife research and that have been used in contexts ranging from entertainment to optimization . ALife has provoked criticism from some quarters, which are briefly mentio ned and evaluated. A list of selected on-line sources is given for further reference.