# Lenia - Biology of Artificial Life

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/1812.05433 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/1812.05433/

## Key facts

- Cited by 41 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 13 Dec 2018.

## Built on by (most cited first, 30 of 41)

- [Learning Graph Cellular Automata](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2110.14237/) (2021)
- [Automating the Search for Artificial Life with Foundation Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2412.17799/) (2024)
- [Flow-Lenia: Towards open-ended evolution in cellular automata through mass conservation and parameter localization](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2212.07906/) (2022)
- [DreamGarden: A Designer Assistant for Growing Games from a Single Prompt](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2410.01791/) (2024)
- [Neural Cellular Automata for ARC-AGI](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2506.15746/) (2025)
- [Texture Generation with Neural Cellular Automata](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2105.07299/) (2021)
- [E(n)-equivariant Graph Neural Cellular Automata](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2301.10497/) (2023)
- [Biomaker CA: a Biome Maker project using Cellular Automata](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2307.09320/) (2023)
- [From Text to Life: On the Reciprocal Relationship between Artificial Life and Large Language Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2407.09502/) (2024)
- [CAX: Cellular Automata Accelerated in JAX](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2410.02651/) (2024)
- [EngramNCA: a Neural Cellular Automaton Model of Memory Transfer](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2504.11855/) (2025)
- [Growing Steerable Neural Cellular Automata](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2302.10197/) (2023)
- [JaxLife: An Open-Ended Agentic Simulator](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2409.00853/) (2024)
- [Neural Cellular Automata Can Respond to Signals](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2305.12971/) (2023)
- [Carle's Game: An Open-Ended Challenge in Exploratory Machine Creativity](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2107.05786/) (2021)
- [AutomataGPT: Forecasting and Ruleset Inference for Two-Dimensional Cellular Automata](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2506.17333/) (2025)
- [Empowered Neural Cellular Automata](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2205.06771/) (2022)
- [Exploring Flow-Lenia Universes with a Curiosity-driven AI Scientist: Discovering Diverse Ecosystem Dynamics](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2505.15998/) (2025)
- [Flow-Lenia: Emergent evolutionary dynamics in mass conservative continuous cellular automata](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2506.08569/) (2025)
- [Capturing Emerging Complexity in Lenia](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2305.09378/) (2023)
- [Selection for short-term empowerment accelerates the evolution of homeostatic neural cellular automata](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2305.15220/) (2023)
- [Expedition & Expansion: Leveraging Semantic Representations for Goal-Directed Exploration in Continuous Cellular Automata](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2509.03863/) (2025)
- [Equilibrium flow: From Snapshots to Dynamics](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2509.17990/) (2025)
- [Guiding Evolution of Artificial Life Using Vision-Language Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2509.22447/) (2025)
- [The Emergence of Complex Behavior in Large-Scale Ecological Environments](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2510.18221/) (2025)
- [Visualizing the Structure of Lenia Parameter Space](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2601.01932/) (2026)
- [Conversable Complexity: Agentic LLM Collectives as Interpretable Substrates](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2607.01047/) (2026)
- [Selecting Continuous Life-Like Cellular Automata for Halting Unpredictability: Evolving for Abiogenesis](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2204.07541/) (2022)
- [A Sensitivity Analysis of Cellular Automata and Heterogeneous Topology Networks: Partially-Local Cellular Automata and Homogeneous Homogeneous Random Boolean Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2407.18017/) (2024)
- [Rethinking Self-Replication: Detecting Distributed Selfhood in the Outlier Cellular Automaton](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2508.08047/) (2025)

## Abstract (arXiv)

We report a new system of artificial life called Lenia (from Latin lenis "smooth"), a two-dimensional cellular automaton with continuous space-time-state and generalized local rule. Computer simulations show that Lenia supports a great diversity of complex autonomous patterns or "lifeforms" bearing resemblance to real-world microscopic organisms. More than 400 species in 18 families have been identified, many discovered via interactive evolutionary computation. They differ from other cellular automata patterns in being geometric, metameric, fuzzy, resilient, adaptive, and rule-generic. We present basic observations of the system regarding the properties of space-time and basic settings. We provide a broad survey of the lifeforms, categorize them into a hierarchical taxonomy, and map their distribution in the parameter hyperspace. We describe their morphological structures and behavioral dynamics, propose possible mechanisms of their self-propulsion, self-organization and plasticity. Finally, we discuss how the study of Lenia would be related to biology, artificial life, and artificial intelligence.