From Morphology to Functionality

Natural evolution is a creative designer of sophisticated organisms, which can be witnessed in rich variety in Nature. Since a long time scientists are occupied to understand the process of evolution. Much more recently scientist try to simulate evolution on their computers. In this interdisciplinary project with scientists from paleontology and computer science, one tries to deepen the understanding of evolution of bivalves using computer simulated evolution. These animals live in different habitats, where they hide in different soils. The differences of these habitats, let them develop different digging behaviors and different shells to hide from predators. In order to understand the different selection pressures leading to different shell shapes as well as digging behavior, we simulate different bivalves in simulation and try to evolve different kinds of bivalves. These evolved results are then produced in a 3D-printer and also tried out with a digging robot consisting of the shells and an actuating mechanisms. The obtained results are then compared with living bivalves as well as with fossils. The project aims towards two different goals: In Paleontology we hope to discern in simulation the effects of the selection pressure for "good* digging on the shape of the shells and the digging behavior. In computer science we hope to deepen our understanding of evolution in order to construct better artificial evolutionary systems.