Lesson plan
Framsticks
Framsticks is a 3D freeware Artificial Life simulator. Organisms consisting of physical structures ("bodies") and control structures ("brains") evolve over time against a user's predefined fitness landscape (for instance, evolving for speed), or spontaneously coevolve in a complex environment. Evolution of organisms occurs primarily through artificial selection, where an intelligent selector chooses the selection parameters and mutation rates. Also the organisms rate of crossing-over can be chosen thus reflecting the sharing of genes by mating in nature. The simulated organisms have genetic scripts inspired by DNA found in living organisms in nature. A user can isolate a particular organism in the gene pool and edit its genotype. Framsticks allows users to design organisms or manually edit the living genetic code of an organism. Users have the ability to seed the environment with energy orbs that the organisms convert to energy and material. Depending on how the organism does in its lifespan determines the future of the virtual gene pool. Gene pools can be exported and shared.
Article summary
Framsticks is a 3D freeware Artificial Life simulator. Organisms consisting of physical structures ("bodies") and control structures ("brains") evolve over time against a user's predefined fitness landscape (for instance, evolving for speed), or spontaneously coevolve in a complex environment. Evolution of organisms occurs primarily through artificial selection, where an intelligent selector chooses the selection parameters and mutation rates. Also the organisms rate of crossing-over can be chosen thus reflecting the sharing of genes by mating in nature. The simulated organisms have genetic scripts inspired by DNA found in living organisms in nature. A user can isolate a particular organism in the gene pool and edit its genotype. Framsticks allows users to design organisms or manually edit the living genetic code of an organism. Users have the ability to seed the environment with energy orbs that the organisms convert to energy and material. Depending on how the organism does in its lifespan determines the future of the virtual gene pool. Gene pools can be exported and shared.
Key claims
No claims recorded.
Discussion questions
- Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
- Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
- If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?
Bibliography
No sources recorded.
Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.