Avida is an open-source platform designed for digital evolution research. It provides users with tools to create and study living digital organisms and their ecosystems. This platform is ideal for scientists, researchers, and enthusiasts interested in understanding the dynamics of evolution in a simulated digital environment.
The platform functions by subjecting a population of self-replicating computer programs to external pressures and allows them to evolve under natural selection. With Avida, Darwinian evolution is applied to populations of self-replicating computer programs that have a Turing complete genetic basis. These digital organisms experience natural selection through random mutations and competition for limited resources.
Avida is not just a mere simulation of evolution - digital organisms evolve in a complex computational environment to survive and adapt to entirely new traits that researchers may not have anticipated. Researchers have discovered some of these adaptations to be creative. To analyze the fate of the population and track data about each individual, information is saved.
Overall, Avida is a powerful tool for researchers seeking to simulate and observe evolution. The ability to produce thousands of generations per hour, record every detail of evolution, and analyze data make this platform an excellent option for those interested in studying the evolution of organisms.
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