Artificial Life The Quest for a New Creation
Artificial Life: The Quest for a New Creation by Steven Levy, published by Penguin in 1993, explores the emerging field of artificial life science, or A-Life. This edition spans 390 pages and delves into a multidisciplinary approach that encompasses microbiology, evolutionary theory, physics, chemistry, and computer science. The book traces the historical roots of A-Life back to the 1940s, highlighting John von Neumann’s pioneering work on cellular automata, which aimed to create self-replicating machines.
Readers will discover how advancements in computing have enabled scientists to develop systems that closely mimic life processes, including reproduction, mutation, and evolution. Levy presents a comprehensive examination of these developments, illustrating the intersection of technology and biology. The narrative provides insights into the implications of creating machines that can evolve and adapt, raising questions about the nature of life itself. This edition serves as a detailed resource for those interested in the fields of artificial intelligence and data science, offering a thorough understanding of the complexities involved in simulating life.
Official synopsis Publisher
This book looks at artificial life science – A-Life, an important new area of scientific research involving the disciplines of microbiology, evolutionary theory, physics, chemistry and computer science. In the 1940s a mathematician named John von Neumann, a man with a claim to being the father of the modern computer, invented a hypothetical mathematical entity called a cellular automaton. His aim was to construct a machine that could reproduce itself. In the years since, with the development of hugely more sophisticated and complex computers, von Neumann’s insights have gradually led to a point where scientists have created, within the wiring of these machines, something that so closely simulates life that it may, arguably, be called life. This machine reproduces itself, mutates, evolves through generations and dies.
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