The Weasel program is a thought experiment proposed by Richard Dawkins, intended to demonstrate how the accumulated small improvements (mutations that bring a benefit to the individual so that it is chosen by natural selection) produce fast results as opposed to the mainstream misinterpretation that evolution happens in big leaps. The algorithm for the Weasel simulation, as described on Wikipedia (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weasel_program), is as follows:
- Start with a random string of 28 characters.
- Make 100 copies of this string, with a 5% chance per character of that character being replaced with a random character.
- Compare each new string with the target METHINKS IT IS LIKE A WEASEL, and give each a score ...
