Abstract.
Recently, all the human genes were identified. But
understanding the functions coded in the genes is of course a much
harder
problem. We are used to view DNA as some sort of a computer code, but
there are
striking differences. For example, by
using entropy, it has been shown that the DNA code is much closer to
random
code than written text, which in turn is less ordered than ordinary
computer
code. Instead of saying that the DNA is badly written, using common
programming
standards, we might say that it is written in a different style − an evolutionary style. In
this paper the coding style of
creatures from the artificial life platform Avida has been studied.
Avida
creatures that have evolved under different size merit methods and
mutation
rates have been analysed using the notion of stylistic measures. The
analysis
has shown that the evolutionary coding style depends on the environment
in
which the code evolved, and that the choice of size merit method and
mutation
probabilities affect different stylistic properties of the genome. A
better
understanding of Avida’s coding style, might eventually lead to
insights of
evolutionary codes in general.