Evolving Self-Reproducing Programs

Abstract- This paper investigates the problem of evolving a self-reproducing program. It is hoped that the analysis of this process might aid the understanding of the process by which the first self-reproducing molecules gave rise to life. We see this work as the meta-level of the well-known investigations into the biochemical precursors to life. This paper presents a sample self-reproducing program, defines the grammar for that program, and then presents the results when a grammar-guided genetic programming system attempts to find for itself a self-reproducing program