In order to make a case for or against a trend in the evolution of complexity in biological evolution, complexity needs to be both rigorously defined and measurable. A recent information-theoretic (but intuitively evident) definition identifies genomic complexity with the amount of information a sequence stores about its environment. We investigate the evolution of genomic complexity in populations of digital organisms and monitor in detail the evolutionary transitions that increase complexity. We show that because natural selection forces genomes to behave as a natural ``Maxwell Demon'', within a fixed environment genomic complexity is forced to increase.
In the present contribution three means of measuring the geometrical and topological complexity of photons' paths in random media are proposed. This is realized by investigating the behavior of the average crossing number, the mean writhe, and the minimal crossing number of photons' paths generated by Monte Carlo (MC) simulations, for different sets of optical parameters. It is observed that the complexity of the photons' paths increases for increasing light source/detector spacing, and that highly "knotted" paths are formed. Due to the particular rules utilized to generate the MC photons' pat…
Nature features a plethora of extraordinary photonic architectures that have been optimized through natural evolution. While numerical optimization is increasingly and successfully used in photonics, it has yet to replicate any of these complex naturally occurring structures. Using evolutionary algorithms directly inspired by natural evolution, we have retrieved emblematic natural photonic structures, indicating how such regular structures might have spontaneously emerged in nature and to which precise optical or fabrication constraints they respond. Comparisons between algorithms show that re…
Range expansion is a universal process in biological systems, and therefore plays a part in biological evolution. Using a quantitative individual-based method based on the stochastic process, we identify that enhancing the inherent self-proliferation advantage of cooperators relative to defectors is a more effective channel to promote the evolution of cooperation in range expansion than weakening the benefit acquisition of defectors from cooperators. With this self-proliferation advantage, cooperators can rapidly colonize virgin space and establish spatial segregation more readily, which acts …
A physically-motivated genetic algorithm (GA) and full enumeration for a tile-based model of self-assembly (JaTAM) is implemented using a graphics processing unit (GPU). We observe performance gains with respect to state-of-the-art implementations on CPU of factor 7.7 for the GA and 2.9 for JaTAM. The correctness of our GA implementation is demonstrated using a test-bed fitness function, and our JaTAM implementation is verified by classifying a well-known search space $S_{2,8}$ based on two tile types. The performance gains achieved allow for the classification of a larger search space $S^{32}…
Microfiltration technology is a widely used engineering strategy for fresh water production and water treatment. The major concern in many applications is the formation of a biological fouling layer leading to increased hydraulic resistance and flux decline during membrane operations. The growth of bacteria constituting such a biological layer implicates the formation of a multispecies biofilm and the consequent increase of operational costs for reactor management and cleaning procedures. To predict the biofilm growth and evolution during the filtration process, a one-dimensional continuous mo…
Throughout the evolution of biological species on Earth, cells and organs have developed many complex structures and processes to ensure their interactions with individual chemical molecules (small and macromolecular) and nanoscale objects result in no harm. These evolutionary mechanisms complicate our attempts to use modern nanoscale science to develop effective and efficient treatments for disease or other biological dysfunctions. Here we describe the complexity of biology on the nanoscale and the implications for the success of recently-discovered nanoscience, which has resulted in an almos…
