Re: Computer modelling of evolution

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>anyone out there interested in taking a computer modelling approach
>to studying patterns of evolution?

Yes! This is all the rage now in the Artificial Life communities.
I'm working on a small project on the evolution of foraging
behaviour, trying to model the development of trace fossils
through time.                      

Please take a look at http://www.notam.uio.no/~oyvindha/virtual.html
for a description of this (aimed at paleontologists!)


Oyvind Hammer
University of Oslo
Depts. of Geology & Computer Science
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Oyvind:

I am impressed by your virtual grazers paper.  I suppose one of the tests
as to whether a model like that is really exhibiting evolution (or at any
rate, "learning") is whether or not the virtual animals come up with 
strategies which the programmers had not thought of, and I am pleased to 
see yours did!

Is there a research group at Oslo working on this kind of thing, and is
work currently in progress on the "Further Research" you note at the
end of the paper?  I would be particularly interested to hear any results
from the work on factoring in the geography.

Tim
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Dr. Tim McCormick			Tel: 0141 339 8855 ext 5469
Dept. of Geology & Applied Geology	Fax: 0141 330 4817
University of Glasgow			Email: tmcc@geology.glasgow.ac.uk
Glasgow G12 8QQ
United Kingdom
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Tim's the name,
Measuring trilobites is the game.....