Open Access

Digital Organisms

 the outcome changed dramatically if the digital organisms lived in environments that would also reward them if they performed some simpler functions. In that case, the evolving programs were able to bridge the gap and eventually solve even the most complex logic problems.

Evidence of a gradual biological evolutionary process is found in complex structures that retain features related to earlier evolutionary steps. The human eye, for example, contains crystalline proteins that are related to those that perform enzymatic functions unrelated to vision.

The researchers say their computer model will let biologists study individual evolutionary steps for the first time. “Darwinian evolution affects DNA and computer code in much the same way,” says Christoph Adami, who leads the Digital Life Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology. “This allows us to study evolution in this electronic medium.”

Lenski adds that some mutations, which initially looked as if they would not be advantageous to an organism, turned out to be crucial stepping stones in the long run