Langton's Loops
Self-replicating structures in a cellular automaton. Each loop contains its own construction blueprint — it reads the arm, builds a copy, detaches, and the copy repeats.
Generation: 0 · Loops detected: 0
Langton 1984 — first demonstration of self-replication emerging purely from local rules. The loop genome is encoded in the arm sequence (state 7 = sheath, state 1 = data signal).