Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 7, 2026
08:54
Development of a Multicellular Three-dimensional Organotypic Model of the Human Intestinal Mucosa Grown Under Microgravity
Published on: July 25, 2016
Evolution and development of a multicellular organism: scalability, resilience, and neutral complexification
Diego Federici1, Keith Downing
1Department of Computer and Information Science, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, N-7491 Trondheim, Norway. federici@idi.ntnu.no
Artificial Life
|July 25, 2006
Summary
Multicellular developmental systems enhance evolvability for complex targets. This indirect encoding strategy, using embryonal stages, shows superior scalability and emergent self-repair compared to direct encoding.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary computation
- Artificial life
- Developmental systems
Background:
- Indirect encoding strategies aim to improve evolvability in large search spaces.
- Multicellular developmental systems are promising for evolving scalable, self-repairing organisms.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of multicellular developmental systems against direct encoding.
- To introduce and test 'embryonal stages' as a generic method for enhancing evolvability.
Main Methods:
- Comparison of a multicellular developmental model with direct encoding.
- Introduction of 'embryonal stages' enabling direct neutral complexification (gene duplication).
- Testing scalability and resilience for high-complexity evolutionary targets.
Main Results:
- The developmental model demonstrated superior scalability for complex evolutionary targets.
- Emergent self-repair capabilities were observed in the developmental model.
- Embryonal stages proved effective in increasing evolvability across developmental models.
Conclusions:
- Multicellular developmental systems offer a scalable approach for evolving complex organisms.
- Direct neutral complexification via embryonal stages enhances evolvability and resilience.
- This model supports the evolution of general, self-repairing, and highly resilient artificial organisms.
More Related Videos
07:34The Power of Simplicity: Sea Urchin Embryos as in Vivo Developmental Models for Studying Complex Cell-to-cell Signaling Network Interactions
Published on: February 16, 2017
09:56Mechanostimulation of Multicellular Organisms Through a High-Throughput Microfluidic Compression System
Published on: December 23, 2022
Related Concept Videos
00:57Cellular Differentiation
How does a complex organism such as a human develop from a single cell? It all starts from a single fertilized egg which gives rise to a vast array of cell types, such as nerve cells, muscle cells, and epithelial cells that characterize the adult? Throughout development and adulthood, cellular differentiation leads cells to assume their final morphology and physiology. Differentiation is the process by which unspecialized cells become specialized to carry out distinct functions.
A zygote is a...
A zygote is a...
01:10Zygotic Development And Stem Cell Formation
The development of all multicellular organisms starts with the fusion of haploid cells called sperm and egg to form a diploid zygote. A zygote is a totipotent cell that can develop into a complete organism. The zygote undergoes cell division or cleavage to form an 8-cell mass. Until this stage, the cells are spherical, loosely attached, and remain totipotent. Totipotent cells are capable of developing both the embryonic and the extraembryonic tissues. However, as they continue to divide, they...
01:13Cell Diversity
The concept of a cell started with microscopic observations of dead cork tissue by Robert Hooke in 1665. Hooke coined the term "cell" based on the resemblance of the small subdivisions in the cork to the rooms that monks inhabited, called cells. About ten years later, Antonie van Leeuwenhoek became the first person to observe the living and moving cells under a microscope. In the century that followed, the theory that cells represented the basic unit of life developed.
Multicellular organisms...
Multicellular organisms...
01:24Evolution of New Traits in Microbes
Microorganisms evolve rapidly due to their large population sizes and short generation times, often exhibiting measurable changes within days under laboratory conditions. Natural selection acts on standing genetic variation, enabling the retention and amplification of beneficial traits that confer fitness advantages in changing environments.Adaptive Pigment Regulation in RhodobacterIn Rhodobacter, a genus of purple non-sulfur bacteria, light-harvesting pigments such as bacteriochlorophyll and...
01:29Microbial Morphologies
Bacterial and archaeal cells exhibit remarkable diversity in shape and structure, critical in their adaptability and functionality. Among bacteria, the most commonly observed shapes include cocci and bacilli. Cocci are spherical and may exist singly or in groupings such as pairs (diplococci), chains (streptococci), clusters (staphylococci), or tetrads. Bacilli, in contrast, are rod-shaped and can also occur as single cells, in pairs, or chains, depending on their environmental and genetic...
01:24Eukaryotic Evolution
The endosymbiont theory is the most widely accepted theory of eukaryotic evolution; however, its progression is still somewhat debated. According to the nucleus-first hypothesis, the ancestral prokaryote first evolved a membrane to enclose DNA and form the nucleus. Conversely, the mitochondria-first hypothesis suggests that the nucleus was formed after endosymbiosis of mitochondria.
Contrary to the endosymbiont theory, the eukaryote-first hypothesis proposes that the simpler prokaryotic and...
Contrary to the endosymbiont theory, the eukaryote-first hypothesis proposes that the simpler prokaryotic and...