UNIVERSITY OF HERTFORDSHIRE
                 COMPUTER SCIENCE RESEARCH COLLOQUIUM


                 "Effect of Multi-Level Fitnesses on 
                   the Evolution of Multicellular
                        Artificial Organisms"

                              Moritz Buck*
                     (School of Computer Science,
                     University of Hertfordshire)

                        4 October 2006 (Wednesday)

                          Lecture Theatre E350
                       Hatfield, College Lane Campus
                               3 - 4 pm

               Coffee/tea and biscuits will be available.
               	          [Catering Permitting]

                    Everyone is Welcome to Attend
                          [Space Permitting]



Abstract:

In this Research, we study how a group of agents evolve under the
constraints of a fitness function representing two different levels of
selection. At a high level the group of agents needs to create a
defined pattern while fitness at the lower level is much easier to 
sustain competing with the high level fitness.

A grid of artificial cells model a population of closely related
cells, all having the same artificial Genetic Regulatory Networks
(GRNs) controlling them. The GRN is a novel implementation based on
boolean networks similar to Kauffman's models. The GRNs are coded into
a bit string genome, which is evolved using a Genetic Algorithm.

Previous work on the transition between single cell organisms and
multicellularity leaves open a lot of questions on how this big step in
evolution happened. One of these questions is about the transition of a low
level to a higer, organismal level fitness. With our model we study this 
question and study the effect of the size of the population on this transition.

* This is joint work with Chrystopher L. Nehaniv.



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Hertfordshire Computer Science Research Colloquium
http://homepages.feis.herts.ac.uk/~nehaniv/colloq