Short Notes: Writing Self-replicating Code

Propagation of Information in Populations of Self-Replicating Code

We observe the propagation of information in a system of self-replicating strings of code (“Artificial Life”) as a function of fitness and mutation rate. Comparison with theoretical predictions based on the reaction-diffusion equation shows that the response of the artificial system to fluctuations (e.g. velocity of the information wave as a function of relative fitness) closely follows that of...

Count by Writing Code

Writing Temporally Predictable Code

The Worst-Case Execution-Time Analysis (WCET Analysis) of program code that is to be executed on modern processors is a highly complex task. First, it involves path analysis, to identify and describe the possible execution paths through the code. Second, it models the worst-case timing of possible paths on the target hardware, where the characterization of the timing of sophisticated hardware f...

Minimal self-replicating systems.

Minimal self-replicating systems typically consist of three components: a product molecule, and two substrate molecules that become joined to form another product molecule. An important characteristic of self-replicating systems is the ability of the product to catalyze the formation of additional product, resulting in autocatalytic behavior. Recent advances in the area of self-replication have...

Simulating Self-replicating Machines

A simulation framework is described in which sliding tiles moving in a discrete two-dimensional grid can be put together to build machines. The tiles can perform logical and mechanical functions, and can be connected to each other. A self-replicating machine has been designed in this environment and its operation is summarised. Observations are made about the usefulness and the limitations of t...