(Gene version 5.1.1 has been released. See Download and History for more information.)

Gene 5.1 is an artificial life laboratory. The critters in Gene have an inherited pathway that they follow when traveling over a landscape of plants. Successful animals (those that eat a lot) survive and have progeny. Mutations can occur to the pathway when a new animal is born. Over time, animals should become better adapted to their environment.

The simulation illustrates the classic boom-and-bust population cycles. As more animals are born, more plants are eaten. Soon, there are too few plants to support the animal population, so animals starve and die off. As the animal population crashes, the plant population starts to recover. At that point, the cycle begins anew.

The Simulation

Simulation Window

The simulation window is where the main action takes place. The green and red dots represent plants and animals. When Start is pressed, the animals will move according to their genetic code. When they encounter a plant, they will eat it. Eating gives them vitality, which enables them to expend energy on movement and reproduction. With each movement (and each birth), an animal loses vitality. When it loses all its vitality, it dies. Dying animals turn from red to yellow before they expire.

Plants reproduce based on iteration cycles. During a plant reproduction cycle, a certain percentage of plants generate new plants. As of this writing, plants to not have any inherited traits (they're just food sources for animals).

Current Stats

This panel shows the current iteration (an iteration is complete when all animals have moved), as well as averages and the current eldest animal age (in iterations). More on current stats can be found here.

Historical Stats

This panel shows the current and historic high/low values of population.

Animal Selection Pane

When the simulation is paused, a selection box appears in the Simulation Window. Dragging the selection box updates the list of animals displayed in this panel. You can select individual animals and edit their behavior.

Population Graph

This panel contains population and other graphs. The Population Graph charts animal and plant populations over time. The Animal Vitality Graph charts the average animal vitality. The Longevity Graph charts both the average age of the animals (in iterations) as well as the age of the eldest animal. Graphs are based on statistical snapshots taken every second or so as the simulation is running.

Sample Paths

A sampling of animal paths are shown in the Movement Graph. One path is highlighted as an example. The deviation of each animal path from a straight line is calculated and dispayed at bottom (the higher the number, the more crooked the path).

Next... Configuration