Extended Abstract The term open-ended evolution (“OEE”) is used by the ALife community to refer to the kind of long-term evolutionary dynamics observed in the biosphere. It is generally taken to refer to evolutionary systems which display a continual production of adaptively significant innovations. Furthermore, some authors use the term to imply a sustained increase in complexity and/or divers...

This paper is an effort to begin serious work toward a theory of open-ended evolution (OEE). We begin by defining OEE to mean continued innovation. With this intuitive definition in mind, we closely examine metrics for characterizing behavior of evolutionary systems and argue that none are sufficient for quantifying open-endedness, but there are still avenues to explore. Working from our relati...

In this research we tried to apply open-ended evolution to breed controllers for artificial organism which would be able to manifest flocking behaviours. In comparison to the previous work in this area the artificial world created in our system is characterized by significant diversity of organisms. Animals were equipped with double and dynamic sight, which were suggested by other authors in th...

We explore a homeostatic approach to program execution in computer systems: the “concentration” of computation services is regulated according to their fitness. The goal is to obtain a self-healing effect so that the system can resist harmful mutations that could happen during on-line evolution. We present a model in which alternative program variants are stored in a repository representing the...

Vocal learning in birds is typically restricted to a sensitive period early in life, with the few exceptions reported in songbirds and parrots. Here, we present evidence of open-ended vocal learning in a hummingbird, the third avian group with vocal learning. We studied vocalizations at four leks of the long-billed hermit Phaethornis longirostris during a four-year period. Individuals produce a...