How life emerges from a simple particle motion law: Introducing the Primordial Particle System
Why Hacker News recommends it
Shared as an example of simple rules yielding complex emergent, life-like behavior, alongside Game of Life and particle simulators.
What it is
Researchers from the Artificial Life Lab Graz introduce the Primordial Particle System, where a simple motion law for self-propelled particles produces cell-like structures that self-reproduce and show life cycles.
Recommended by 1 HN commenters across 1 different months, 2019 to 2021.
What Hacker News said
Recommends hut0 · 2020-12 · on “Show HN: Exophysics – WebGL2 particle simulator”
[this video] <- this one is pretty awesome too. A very simple rule and quite the complex behavior. Though I'd recommend watching it at 175% speed, muted, and perhaps with the 1812 Overture as the background music.
Cites rouli · 2019-12 · on “Particle Life”
wonderful! Coincidently, I read today a paper [1], which has a nice video demo here [2] describing a very similar system but with only one type of cells and a simple rule. Surprisingly enough, particles form cell type structure and seem to "reproduce". [1] [LINK] [2] [this video]
Cites hut0 · 2021-06 · on “ALiEn – a GPU-accelerated artificial life simulation program”
There's a similar project that runs right in your browser: [LINK] It's more simple, and more about physics than biology, but the emergent phenomena are pretty interesting nevertheless. This universe comes the closest to a life simulation: [LINK] [based on the Primordial Particle System, [this video] ]
Cites beaconstudios · 2021-06 · on “Maps Of Matter”
I think generative art could be emergent in future, but as far as I'm aware it isn't currently. The best examples of designed emergence we have right now are cellular automata, like Conway's Game of Life, or Primordial particle systems ( [this video] ).