Tag Archives: Avida

In search of evolutionary hotspots

Posted on October 31, 2017 by hageyt

This post is by MSU grad student Emily Dolson Imagine that an alien species arrives on earth. It happens to be able to live and reproduce in any part of the world, and, over successive generations, it begins to adapt … Continue reading →

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Charles Ofria named one of the 2017 William J. Beal Outstanding Faculty

Posted on February 5, 2017 by hageyt

We are proud to congratulate BEACON’s Deputy Director Charles Ofria for being named a 2017 William J. Beal Outstanding Faculty Award winner. Charles Ofria is recognized internationally for his research at the interface of computer science and evolutionary biology. He … Continue reading →

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2nd Active LENS Workshop: June 2016

Posted on February 29, 2016 by hageyt

This post is by MSU postdoc Mike Wiser  The 2nd annual Avida-ED Active LENS Workshop will be held at Michigan State University June 9-11, 2016 in East Lansing, MI. The purpose of this workshop is to train instructors in the use … Continue reading →

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Studying the Evolution of Division of Labor with Digital Organisms

Posted on February 6, 2016 by hageyt

This post is by MSU Postdoc Heather Goldsby. Why do you have different types of cells in your body? Why do honeybees perform different roles, including forager, undertaker, nurse, and queen? Why do factory workers perform jobs as specific as … Continue reading →

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BEACON Researchers at Work: Coach, Put me on the bench! A Novice’s Journey into Old-Fashioned Experimental Evolution

Posted on January 26, 2015 by Danielle Whittaker

This week’s BEACON Researchers at Work blog is by MSU graduate student Jay Bundy. As a kid I played a lot of basketball. I loved almost everything about the game. But there was one thing I hated: spending time riding … Continue reading →

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BEACON Researchers at Work: Spatial dynamics of evolution

Posted on October 27, 2014 by Danielle Whittaker

This week’s BEACON Researchers at Work blog post is by MSU graduate student Emily Dolson. All biological organisms must occupy a single location in physical space. This idea is so obvious that most people don’t give it much thought, but … Continue reading →

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BEACON Researchers at Work: The more things change, the more they stay the same

Posted on February 3, 2014 by Danielle Whittaker

This week’s BEACON Researchers at Work post is by Michigan State University graduate student Austin Dreyer. Variation is one of the most obvious themes in biology. From variation between taxonomic groups, morphological traits, behavioral responses, habitats, and so on, we … Continue reading →

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Evolution 101: Digital Evolution

Posted on January 13, 2014 by Danielle Whittaker

This Evolution 101 post is by MSU graduate student Armand Burks. When scientists study the process of evolution in living organisms, two of the key limiting factors are that of time and the amount of data available. In practice, it … Continue reading →

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What's in a (mutation's) name?

Posted on September 5, 2013 by Danielle Whittaker

Cross-posted from UT postdoc Art Covert’s blog, Covert Science(ish) Names are generally very arbitrary things. In the words of The Bard: “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” This may be true for roses, but for mutations, … Continue reading →

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BEACON Researchers at Work: Evolving division of labor

Posted on June 3, 2013 by Danielle Whittaker

This week’s BEACON Researchers at Work post is by MSU graduate student Anya Johnson. Have you ever looked around you and thought about the amazing feats that organisms accomplish together? The most obvious examples are of course everything that humans … Continue reading →

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