Exploring Evolutionary Rules and Paths

By starting from a null rule and exploring rules obtained through single point mutations, one can observe various behaviors and outcomes. Some rules lead to patterns with longer lifetimes while others result in no progress or generate patterns that last indefinitely. Constructing a multi-way graph of mutations reveals hints of important phenomena, such as fitness neutral mutations, one-way mutations, and the existence of different branches that once committed to, are hard to switch between, akin to the tree of life.