In the 1980’s, evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins wrote a suite of computer programs to simulate evolution. These artificial life programs were integral to Dawkin’s work on evolution, and in particular to his ground-breaking books The Blind Watchmaker, Climbing Mount Improbable.

Mount Improbable, an interactive site is based on his original code. A few minutes of playing with this program gives you a hands-on, vivid feeling for how Darwinian selection works.