Many biological animals, even microscopically small, are able to track moving sources of food. In this paper, we investigate the emergence of such behavior in artificial animals (animats) in a 2-dimensional simulated liquid environment. These "predators" are controlled by evolving artificial gene regulatory networks encoded in linear genomes. The fate of the predators is determined only by their ability to gather food and reproduce—no...

Co-evolution of predators and prey is an example of an evolutionary arms race, leading in nature to selective pressures in positive feedback. We introduce here an artificial life ecosystem in which such positive feedback can emerge. This ecosystem consists of a 2-dimensional liquid environment and animats controlled by evolving artificial gene regulatory networks encoded in linear genomes. The genes in the genome encode chemical...

Foraging for resources is a simple cognitive task that even one-celled biological organisms can ac- complish. We present an Artificial Life system in which artificial unicellular organisms (animats) forage for food in a 3-dimensional simulated liquid environment. The movement of animats is controlled by evolving artificial gene regulatory networks encoded in linear genomes. When an animat consumes enough food, it produces offspring...