applyReproduction clones a single parent's genome with gaussian mutation (mutateTraits). There is no second-parent crossover of any kind. This is a legitimate simplification, but it caps how fast the population can generate new trait combinations, since mutation alone explores much more slowly than mutation plus recombination.
Why it matters: this is one of two concrete levers, along with population divergence tracking, that bears directly on the open-endedness gap. Recombination is also the natural hook for future mate-choice and social dynamics, such as pairing near a home or sexual selection, if that direction is ever pursued.
Direction: no immediate action implied. Flagging as a known ceiling on evolvability, worth reconsidering if trait-space diversity is observed to be prematurely collapsing.
Related files: src/sim/systems/reproduction.ts, src/sim/traits.ts
applyReproduction clones a single parent's genome with gaussian mutation (mutateTraits). There is no second-parent crossover of any kind. This is a legitimate simplification, but it caps how fast the population can generate new trait combinations, since mutation alone explores much more slowly than mutation plus recombination.
Why it matters: this is one of two concrete levers, along with population divergence tracking, that bears directly on the open-endedness gap. Recombination is also the natural hook for future mate-choice and social dynamics, such as pairing near a home or sexual selection, if that direction is ever pursued.
Direction: no immediate action implied. Flagging as a known ceiling on evolvability, worth reconsidering if trait-space diversity is observed to be prematurely collapsing.
Related files: src/sim/systems/reproduction.ts, src/sim/traits.ts