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About Darwin's Aquarium™ |
In 1973 the evolutionary biologist Theodosius Dobzhansky said that "Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution." But there is a problem: although phenomena of physics and chemistry can be readily demonstrated in the laboratory, those of biological evolution cannot. The average person can see the PRODUCT of evolution in the huge diversity of life on Earth, but one cannot see the PROCESS of evolution taking place, producing this diversity. This is because the origin of species through natural selection normally occurs over vast amounts of time and space. Darwin's Aquarium™ is a computer simulation that takes the process of evolution and speeds it up enormously and compresses it into a small space--into Darwin's Aquarium™.In Darwin's Aquarium™ you will see simulated protozoa--called "bugs"--evolve a rich variety of behaviors by natural selection. The bugs compete with each other and struggle for survival in the search for their prey (tiny green "bacteria" distributed about the aquarium). And note: the bugs really do evolve "on their own": there is not one line of code in the program that tells the bugs how to solve their problems. They truly live, die, and evolve according to their own genetic merits (and the chance circumstances of existence in their environment). Each simulation run produces its own unique branching pattern of evolution. This pattern is made apparent with the aid of a striking visual: a branched "evolution tree", seen growing upward on the right side of the screen. There you can study the evolutionary sequence of events as one ecological niche after another in the aquarium is invaded and occupied by newly evolved bug species. (Although bold in its outline, the evolution tree is also seen to have fine fractal-like detail.) Before a simulation run begins, the user can choose from a variety of biological and physical setups in the aquarium. During a run, a number of interactive features allow the user to intervene and alter the bugs' genetics, reproduction, color, etc., or alter the environment in various ways. |
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