Replicator
RLE: here
A replicator is any pattern that produces copies of itself.
Replicators occur naturally in some cellular automata. The best-known example is the replicator in HighLife (B36/S23). In the Replicator rule (B1357/S1357) and Replicator 2 rule (B1357/S02468), every pattern is a replicator. A single alive cell is a replicator in many B1 rules, including Gnarl (B1/S1).
There exists a replicator in any cellular automaton with a universal constructor. Therefore Life, which has a universal constructor, has replicators. The first explicit example was produced by Andrew Wade in May 2010. He coined the term 'Gemini', due to the symbiotic relationship between two universal constructors.
External Links
- Replicator at the Life Lexicon