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EPSRC Network on Evolvability in Biology & Software SystemsSoftware Evolution and Evolutionary Computation Symposium Abstracts
University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, U.K.
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PETER BENTLEY
Department of Computer Science
University College London
Natural evolution doesn't happen in a vacuum, it occurs within a complex environment full of interacting forms of life. These produce a moving target for evolution to aim at as it modifies a species. It may be that such a moving target actually helps to overcome problems of evolvability that are seen from attempting to evolve solutions for a static target. Likewise, when our DNA causes our development from single cell to multicellular organism, this development occurs in a rich, interactive environment of cells, proteins, movement and warmth. In this case, the environment seems to help create robustness (amongst other things) - should DNA or cellular damage occur, it can be repaired automatically. Clearly both evolution and development are embodied in nature, and both make use of the fact that they are embodied. These two processes are highly related to each other and yet different. And both can be harnessed inside our computers to help create the next generation of our technology. This talk discusses why and how we can do this.
Homepage: http://www.cs.ucl.ac.uk/staff/P.Bentley