Artificial life: borrowing from biology: Proceedings of the 4th Australian Conference on Artificial Life (ACAL 2009), Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 01-04 December 2009

As we approach the limits and capabilities of machines, we find that the principle of diminishing returns is forcing scientists to turn their attention toward biology to provide practical solutions to problems in our increasingly complex world. An emerging field of science that studies the systems related to life, its processes and evolution is known as Artficial Life (ALife). It draws on the skills and talents of scientists from a variety of disciplines, including, but not limited to, biology, psychology, evolution and computer science. These researchers are showing that, by using even simple simulations of the basic processes of nature, much about our complex natural world and our own humanity can be revealed. Gatherings in the expanding Alife community are becoming more common. One such series, the Australian Conference on Artificial Life (ACAL), began in Adelaide in 2001 and was known as the “Inaugral Workshop on Artifical Life.” From these small beginnings, it has become a biennial event that has previously been held in Canberra (2003), Sydney (2005) and the Gold Coast (2007). ACAL 2009 received over 60 quality submissions of which 27 were accepted for oral presentation at the conference. Each paper submission was assigned to three members of the Program Committee. The Program Committe, as well as the conference delegates, came from countries across Asia-Pacific, North America and Europe