University of Windsor professor Robin Gras has developed computer simulation software that can track evolutionary processes and study ecosystems. “We have the ability to make fast computations of things that take millions of years in order to happen,” Gras says. “Here in our computer, we can see that in a few days.” He says the program is different from other simulation programs because it has a higher level of complexity for individual behaviors. The program accounts for multiple factors that describe the internal state of a species, including fear, hunger, sexual needs, curiosity, and satisfaction. The virtual species use these factors to help make decisions such as evading predators, searching for food, eating, reproducing, socializing, and exploring. Gras says the program can help scientists understand how species emerge, survive, and become extinct, although he says it will take years to perfect it. Gras says the key to the program is being able to jump forward and backward millions of years at a time to observe changes in behavior and to learn how and why the changes happened.
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