I am fascinated by the beauty and economy of living algorithms. The discovery of genetic and swarm algorithms changes the way that hard problems can be approached and expands the power of a particular computer exponentially. Increased understanding of the natural world should allow us to create amazing things in the future.
One of the most fascinating adaptive systems that I know of is the mammalian immune system, especially that part of it called the adaptive immune system. As you are no doubt aware, the adaptive immune system is what protects you from dying of chicken pox. That is, now that you have had the pox, you are unlikely to have it again, because your immune system has adapted to that threat.
The applications in almost any security area are obvious. You can take the same basic algorithms and apply them to threat management, power system maintenance, sensor networks, and more. And certainly there are benefits in computer science and software design from immune system modeling.
But even more importantly, there are lessons to be learned about the immune system itself from immune system modeling. We can study the way that the system works through modeling and work on projects like finding a cure for a particular cancer, preventing autoimmune disease, and more.
Similarly, the study of complex adaptive systems such as fisheries or economies can have payoffs both in terms of finding new algorithms and in terms of solving problems in those systems. Complex adaptive systems are useful things to learn about.
Currently, I'm researching artificial life. The Artificial Life Ecosystem Simulator is a Java based program intended to eplore they dynamics of an adaptive system from a more artistic standpoint. More formally, I'm studying Immune System simulation in some depth.
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