Electronic tadpoles test natural selection and evolution
I found this on Engadget with a link to the source article, researchers have been working out ways to test theories of evolution with electronic tadpoles that "mate" and product "offspring". This is all in quotes because there is no actual mating involved the researchers take the traits of the two individuals and make a new bot from them. The results thus far are interesting nonetheless:
After 10 generations, Long and his colleagues found that as swimming performances improved, stiffer tails evolved.
"One thing vertebrates really brought to scene were large, fast, active animals, and this part of the anatomy has a direct connection with that," Long said.
However, Long added their analysis showed increasing tail stiffness accounted for only 40 percent of the improvement in swimming performance, meaning other factors are involved, such as how well the tail turns. "We plan to investigate what that next 60 percent is," Long told LiveScience.
But it isn’t going to stop there, next round—predators!
In addition, the researchers plan on adding a "predator" into the tank during the swimming competition to see how Tadro tails evolve then. This hunter will attempt to collide with the robots, while the Tadros will try to avoid it. This next generation of Tadros will detect the predator using infrared sensors that mimic the pressure-sensitive organs of fish, known as lateral lines.
Certainly a very interesting, and humane, way to test out these theories. Hmm, wonder if they are going to get to the point of potential mates "fighting" for others.
Tags: evolution, natural selection, Tadro
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