About evo-edu.org
We are an open-access platform offering resources for students, educators, and enthusiasts interested in evolutionary biology, ecology, computational biology, and artificial life. We host interactive applications, hands-on tutorials, and open-source projects that highlight core principles.
Featured Apps & Demonstrations
Explore hands-on demos that illustrate how evolutionary principles can solve complex tasks or shed light on ecological dynamics. These interactive tools are freely available for classroom instruction, self-study, or simply for curiosity.
Topic: Population Genetics and Biology
JS PopG
This is a Javascript implementation of Prof. Joe Felsenstein's 'PopG' program, a simulation meant to demonstrate factors affecting fixation or loss of an allele in a single-locus, two-allele scenario. Mutation rates for homozygous forms and the heterozygote form can be set, the number of organisms per population, the number of populations, and a migration rate between populations. Results are graphically shown.
Try DemoPopulation Dynamics
Explore how animal and plant populations change over time! Our Matrix Population Dynamics tools let you:
- Build Your Own Model: Define your population’s life stages, survival, and reproduction to see how numbers shift over multiple generations.
- Browse Real Data: Dive into published matrices from the COMADRE/COMPADRE database and investigate actual demographic patterns of diverse species.
Whether you’re curious about conservation scenarios, invasive species, or simply learning the ropes of matrix models, these apps offer hands-on insight into the science of population growth and decline.
Explore Population DynamicsLandscape Genetics Simulator
Explore genetic drift and gene flow in a landscape that can be split by a barrier.
Explore Landscape Genetics
Predator-Prey Dynamics Simulator
This web app uses the Lotka-Volterra equations to model predator-prey dynamics. The user can set parameters, run a simulation interactively or in batch, export and imposrt settings, download charts, and downlaod data.
Topic: Evolutionary Computation / Artificial Life
Traveling Salesperson GA
Watch evolution in action as a genetic algorithm finds increasingly efficient routes through a set of cities—an iconic problem in combinatorial optimization.
Try DemoSteiner Tree GA
Learn how a simple genetic algorithm attempts to solve the Steiner Tree problem, a classic graph optimization challenge. Visualize how populations evolve to create shorter connections among points.
Try DemoAvida-ED v3 & v4
Avida-ED is a digital evolution platform for classroom use. Run controlled experiments on digital organisms, track heritable traits, and demonstrate fundamental evolutionary processes in a user-friendly environment.
Try Avida-ED v3Try Avida-ED v4
Biomorphs
Experience digital evolution with Richard Dawkins' iconic Biomorphs program. This interactive simulation shows how simple, randomly generated shapes can evolve into intricate forms through mutation and natural selection. Biomorphs is a captivating tool to spark curiosity about evolution and demonstrate the creative potential of natural processes.
Explore Biomorphs
Additional Resources
Looking for more? Check out our curated list of open-source projects, publications, tutorials, and community forums related to evolutionary biology and ecology.
- Avida on GitHub
- Official Avida-ED Site
- The Panda’s Thumb Blog
Disclaimer
This page was produced primarily by prompting OpenAI GPT models. Please inform the site administrator if you find errors or inaccuracies, or wish to suggest features and additional content.