ARTIFICIAL LIFE:
After 50 Years, Self-Replicating Silicon
Gary Taubes
In the September issue of the journal Robotics and Autonomous Systems, researchers report that they have made a self-repairing, self-replicating version of a specialized computer. It's able to perform only one specific task, but they hope soon to do the same with a "universal" computer--a necessary step toward creating computers that truly mimic life by reproducing and evolving.