TextEvolution: Modeling DNA replication mechanisms with textScience Hack Day SF 2013

David Harris

Mutations and repairs

• Point mutation -> letter substitution• Insertion mutation -> letter insertion• Deletion mutation -> letter deletion

• Repair -> spellcheck and replace “broken” words with best guess at correct word (sometimes you get a favorable mutation)

Parameters

• Do nothing rate• Point mutation rate• Insertion rate• Deletion rate

• Number of generations

Examples

• From so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being, evolved.

• Fro simple beginning endlessness Dost beautiful and Yost Wonderful been and bing evolved

• Simple beginning endlessness Dost Beautiful Wonderful beebread evolved

• beginning godlessness Beebread Evolve

Examples

• An American monkey, after getting drunk on brandy, would never touch it again, and thus is much wiser than most men.

• Americana monkey after getting drunkenness ditch against embouchure ooze Chaw most men

• Americana Asterisking drunkenness Chauvinist

Examples

• I have tried lately to read Shakespeare, and found it so intolerably dull that it nauseated me.

• Haversack laxity raped fun so intolerable deal Cronkite nauseated me

Examples

• I love fools' experiments. I am always making them.

• lovelinesses allay marring Oh

• lonelinesses Earring

Lessons

• Mutations often kill off species (words)• Having an insertion or deletion rate too high very rapidly

kills off species (words)• There are some bizarre words in the English language