Cellular automata are quirky little toys / computational tools that we can use to investigate the rules that lead to behavior we see in the natural world. Often a simple set of rules leads to intriguingly complex behavior, a process which is at the heart of complex systems analysis. One of the most famous cellular automata is known as the Game of Life, developed in the early 70’s by John Conway. His work is still important and has laid the foundation for much interesting inquiry.
