GenePool allows you to see evolution in action, and experiment with certain aspects of evolution through the development and reproduction of simulated life forms known as swimbots.
http://www.swimbots.com
The process of biologocal evolution is a mystery to many people, both because of propoganda and because it is such a slow process. What I mean by propoganda is that many people have been given the idea that evolution is a theory that says a monkey gave birth to the first human, or something on that order. When I say that evolution is a mystery to many people because it's such a slow process, what I mean is that most people have never seen evolution in action and the human lifespan is way too short to whitness the evolution of a new species of animal or plant, because such an evolution happens in many small steps which are spread out over an even larger number of generations. The GenePool program allows you to watch simulated lifeforms evolve because their reproductive cycle is short enough to allow such small changes to add up quickly enough that the cumulative effects can be observed.

Of course, even at the accellerated rate provided by GenePool, evolution is still a gradual process which you may not notice happening right away. Be patient. The experience is worth the wait.

By default, GenePool starts up for the first time in a pool full of random swimbots. This allows the exploration of Darwinian evolution as the diverse but nearly helpless population of swimbots produce offspring with combinations of their genetic data resulting in anything from still-borns to slight improvements. The end result could be extinction of the species or homogenization into a mass of very similar swimbots that are much more adept at swimming than their ancestors were.

In the Pool menu, you will also find startup pools that you can choose. The Primordial startup pool starts up with a random mix of swimbots. The Neighborhoods startup pool begins with localized groups of swimbots where each group shares the same body type in common. The Froggies startup pool begins with swimbots that are all the same shape, size, color, and configuration. This startup pool is particularly useful for those who want to see visible signs of evolution as quickly as possible. Since the Froggy swimbots start out all looking alike, you can easily see even small mutations in their offspring such as a change in color or an extra limb.

Of course, occasionally a mutation will cause a more profound change, but these rarely survive. The reason for this is that the swimbots in GenePool rely on inherited instincts to know how to swim, and the instincts that work for a particular body type tend not to work so well for a substantially different body type. These instincts are not learned by one swimbot and passed on the the next, but rather are learned by the species through survival of the fittest. You can choose to help swimbots of your choice in GenePool by feeding them or assisting them in finding a mate, but keep in mind that since they rely on instincts to survive, such actions may increase the chances of extinction.

If you like GenePool, then you may want to also download the GenePool File Manager that I made specifically to edit and organize GenePool files. For the latest revision of GenePool File Manager 3, Click here to download.

If you would like to take a look at other work by Jeffrey Ventrella, the author of GenePool, go to www.ventrella.com and you will find links to other software that you can download, as well as some interesting reading.