Watch information live, reproduce, evolve, and die
Based on Deep Dive #7: Information as Life - Assembly Theory meets the Noosphere
Information requires energy to exist. Each particle consumes power from data centers, just like biological organisms consume food.
Watch the glowing connections - these are energy flows between organisms. More complex information requires more energy.
Real-world parallel: Data centers consume 1-2% of global electricity to keep information alive.
When information has enough energy, it reproduces. Memes spread. Ideas replicate. Content goes viral.
Organisms with amber rings are ready to reproduce. Click "Birth a Meme" to see a highly viral idea spread through the system.
Real-world parallel: Viral tweets, shared articles, copied ideas - information reproducing across minds.
Information mutates as it spreads. Each generation develops new traits. The fittest variants survive and reproduce more.
The glowing rings show Assembly Index - a measure of complexity. Higher index means more evolved, more complex information structures.
Assembly Theory: Complex objects that appear repeatedly in nature are likely products of evolution.
Without energy, information decays and dies. Red halos mark organisms near death. When they vanish, that information is lost.
This is what makes information alive - it can die. The noosphere is a living system because information has birth, life, and death cycles.
Real-world parallel: Forgotten websites, deleted posts, lost knowledge - information entropy.
Developed by Lee Cronin and Sara Walker, Assembly Theory proposes that complex objects which appear repeatedly are likely products of evolution and selection, not random chance. The Assembly Index measures the minimum number of steps needed to construct an object.
Pierre Teilhard de Chardin's concept of a "sphere of human thought" encircling the planet. As information networks densify, they form a living layer of collective consciousness - the noosphere.
If information exhibits metabolism (energy consumption), reproduction (spreading), evolution (mutation and selection), and death (decay), then by biological criteria, information is alive. The noosphere is a living system.
From Deep Dive #7: "If memes consume energy (data center power), reproduce (spread virally), evolve (mutate through human minds), and die (are forgotten), then memes are alive by the same criteria we use for bacteria."
Click any particle to see its detailed stats - energy, generation, Assembly Index, mutation rate, and more.
Change virality and mutation rates to see how they affect population dynamics. Watch evolution in real-time.
Use speed controls to slow down or speed up the simulation. Pause to examine the ecosystem at any moment.