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posted by cmn32480 on Thursday August 13 2015, @03:24PM   Printer-friendly
from the no-way-to-charge-the-batteries-is-a-robot-disaster dept.

A computer science team at The University of Texas at Austin has found that robots evolve more quickly and efficiently after a virtual mass extinction modeled after real-life disasters such as the one that killed off the dinosaurs. Beyond its implications for artificial intelligence, the research supports the idea that mass extinctions actually speed up evolution by unleashing new creativity in adaptations.

Computer scientists Risto Miikkulainen and Joel Lehman co-authored the study published today in the journal PLOS One, which describes how simulations of mass extinctions promote novel features and abilities in surviving lineages.

"Focused destruction can lead to surprising outcomes," said Miikkulainen, a professor of computer science at UT Austin. "Sometimes you have to develop something that seems objectively worse in order to develop the tools you need to get better."

The original article from Science Daily.

The original source from The University of Texas.

The abstract of the study published in PLOS One.


Original Submission

 
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  • (Score: 1) by khallow on Friday August 14 2015, @02:40AM

    by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Friday August 14 2015, @02:40AM (#222643) Journal
    No, it's not saying that. It's saying that a massive clearing of evolutionary niches results in an extended period of accelerated evolution. It's worth noting here that the species which survive mass die offs often quickly rebound to their former populations. Kimura's effect would only apply for a short period of time to the original population.