Quote: (Warmaster Nice @ 21 Aug. 2008, 21:07 )
Quote: (nealhunt @ 21 Aug. 2008, 19:10 )
Incidentally, he wrote an article that I still recall because I thought it was so cool. He was working with a group designing missile defense systems and they set up a design optimization process using sexual reproduction and evolution models. Basically, they wrote a bunch of computer model scenarios to defend against and programmed a bunch of missile systems with different attributes - "spray and pray" versus precise target acquisition, lighter projectives and volume versus lower, etc. - then ran them through the scenarios. The ones with the best survival rates were "bred" so their traits were reinforced and the others discarded.
They also tried different combinations of sexes - mutation from a single sex, 2, 3, and I believe 4 sexes. As it turned out, 2-sex reproduction produced the most efficient evolution. He couldn't release any of the missile results, but he was able to write an article on the sexual reproduction model.
Sounds very interesting. Is that article available on the net somewhere?
Heh. Yet another weird, random thing that helped make this story memorable, it was pulled right before publication by an editor who suddenly noticed an article on the sexual reproduction of missile defense systems was written by "A. Brain" and thought it was a joke.
I don't know if it was ever published. I'd say Google Scholar would be your best shot at finding it.
Now are you going to list them as Male, Female or Other !? 
Sorry, could resist ! 
Of course WWI Brit Tanks were rated as Male(with Big Guns) & Female(with MGs). I may have to buy some of those Irregular Fokkers to see what the Muthers look like ?! 
