Figure 12.

Emergence of in silico proto-organisms. A simple spatial model can lead to complex multicellular assemblies involving organismality. Using (a) a two-state model of cells with division of labour, a complex spatially organized system emerges (b) as a result of artificial evolution under a selective medium where both nutrients and waste are present (see [132]). The spatial dynamics is driven by a model of differential adhesion (c). A different class of model involves considering cells as complex networks whose phenotypes (P₁, P₂,…) are defined by attractors derived from stem cells [133].