To create an evolution simulator we need a species with an easily observable behavioral pattern that is determined by a small set of genes. In the simulation laid out here the genes determine the preferred motion of a microbe. An individual competes with other members of the species for a food supply.

Is evolution a simulation?

The central idea of the Simulated Evolution project is to emphasize and manifest that evolution is more than a history of humans, fossils, life, but evolution is a fundamental process – a process by which populations of individuals can change over time through variation and selection.

Can evolution be quick?

On the other hand, we know that evolution can move extremely quickly to create a new species. One example of the speed of evolution involves the progress mammals have made.

Can evolution happen in 100 years?

As argued in a recent thread (), 100 years is enough for an organism to evolve, as to thrown into confusion the identification of the species described a century ago.

Are humans evolving faster than ever?

Humans now evolve faster than ever, and it's not because of genes. At the mercy of natural selection since the dawn of life, our ancestors adapted, mated and died, passing on tiny genetic mutations that eventually made humans what we are today. But evolution isn't bound strictly to genes anymore, a new study suggests.

Simulating Natural Selection

30 related questions found

What will humans look like in 1 million years?

In the year 1 million, Earth's continents will look roughly the same as they do now and the sun will still shine as it does today. But humans could be so radically different that people today wouldn't even recognize them, according to a new series from National Geographic.

Are human brains shrinking?

“For a brain as small as that found in the average European male today, the body would have to shrink to the size of a pygmy” to maintain proportional scaling. Hawks chose to focus on Europe in the relatively recent past, he explains, because there is an exceptionally large number of complete remains from that era.

Why did humans stop evolving?

It has been argued that human evolution has stopped because humans now adapt to their environment via cultural evolution and not biological evolution. ... These adaptive responses have important implications for infectious diseases, Mendelian genetic diseases, and systemic diseases in current human populations.

Will humans survive in 2100?

A 2014 study published in Science asserts that the human population will grow to around 11 billion by 2100 and that growth will continue into the next century.

Will humans evolve to breathe underwater?

Scientists have discovered a way for humans to potentially breathe underwater by merging our DNA with that of algae. ... The real-life version however could work on a more fundamental level and change our DNA so that we are more like algae, which actually give off oxygen even though they are on the sea bed.