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Creatures in Gridworld are a simple and abstract versions of biological life. They
can be recognized as colored blocks moving around the grid. Just like in nature,
creatures have DNA, a digital code that describes the morphology of the creatures.
in Gridworld, the dna describes the morphology of the neural network (brain) of the
creature. In turn, the brain decides how the creature behaves during its life.
When a piece of dna is copied when creatures reproduce, there is a small chance of
mutation in the dna. This leads to diversity in the dna pool. Natural selection
causes those creatures with the best adapted genes to have more offspring. This
causes the best adapted genes to increase in numbers while the weaker genes are
decreasing in numbers and are eventually rooted out.
Through this process of natural selection, creatures become increasingly well
adapted to their environment within each generation. And thus, evolution occurs.
The cool thing about evolution is that it is an autonomous process that requires no
guiding hand.
You can simply start a simulation and take your hands of completely. When you come
back to check after a day or two, you will find a thriving eco system of virtual
creatures. You can do more than just simply observing though. Gridworld's
simulations are highly customizable. The user interface allows you to tweak any
simulation parameter or change the environment as you like.
This way you can set up your own experiments and watch as your creatures adapt to
the world and conditions that you provide for them.