Flibs’NLogo is an agent-based simulation implemented in NetLogo that models the evolution of perfect predictors through a genetic algorithm. The agents, called flibs (finite living blobs), are finite‑state automata whose behaviour is encoded in circular chromosomes. They inhabit a “primordial computer soup” and are tasked with anticipating a user‑defined periodic binary sequence. Each generation consists of 100 evaluation cycles, during which a flib’s fitness is incremented each time its output correctly matches the next environmental signal.
Reproduction follows an elitist scheme: a donor (current fittest individual) replaces a randomly chosen recipient either by cloning (complete genome substitution) or by bacterial‑like conjugation (unidirectional horizontal transfer of a random chromosome segment). A stochastic mutagenesis operator introduces point mutations in genes, while the reproductive strategy gene can also switch under a mixed-reproduction regime. Population dynamics are monitored via genomic diversity indices (Shannon‑Wiener, Simpson), a phenotypic simpleness metric that distinguishes the low number of states actually used from the genomic potential.
The model serves as a digital evolutionary laboratory for exploring the interplay among bounded rationality, collective adaptation, and the emergence of anticipatory behaviour. By linking evolutionary computation with cognitive concepts, Flibs’NLogo investigates fundamental transitions from reactive to predictive systems and allows for testing whether populations evolve toward minimal necessary complexity or exhibit an intrinsic drift toward structural elaboration.