After more than a decade of development, Avida’s digital organisms at Michigan State University are now getting close to fulfilling the definition of biological life.

These are digital organisms — strings of commands — akin to computer viruses. Each organism can produce tens of thousands of copies of itself within a matter of minutes. Unlike computer viruses, however, they are made up of digital bits that can mutate and replicate, much like DNA.

The ultimate goal of the instructions in DNA is to make new organisms that contain the same genetic instructions. A computer program that contains instructions for making new copies of itself has taken a significant step toward life.