Experiments
V11: Lenia CA Evolution
V11: Lenia CA Evolution
Period: 2025-2026. Substrate: Continuous cellular automaton (Lenia) with evolutionary dynamics.
Versions: V11.0 (naive), V11.1 (homogeneous evolution), V11.2 (heterogeneous chemistry), V11.5 (hierarchical coupling), V11.7 (curriculum training).
| Version | (drought) | Key lesson |
|---|---|---|
| V11.0 (naive) | -6.2% | Decomposition baseline |
| V11.1 (homogeneous evolution) | -6.0% | Selection alone insufficient |
| V11.2 (heterogeneous chemistry) | -3.8% | +2.1pp shift from diverse viability manifolds |
| V11.7 (curriculum training) | +1.2 to +2.7pp generalization | Only intervention improving novel-stress response |
Key finding: Training regime matters more than substrate complexity. The locality ceiling: convolutional physics cannot produce active self-maintenance under severe threat. The Yerkes-Dodson pattern (mild stress increases integration, severe stress destroys it) appeared in every condition — the most robust empirical finding across the entire program.
Source code
v11_substrate.py— Lenia substrate with FFT convolutionv11_evolution.py— Evolution loop with curriculum stressv11_run.py— CLI runner for all V11 variantsv11_affect.py— Affect measurement (Phi, robustness)