Fertilization

The CA is controlled by the following buttons:
Start:  CA are planted.
Hide CA-1 Hide CA-2
Infection: Infect CA-1

The previous experiment demonstrated how an ovum may be stimulated to  divide (cleave)  by a process called parthenogenesis. The sperm touched the membrane and did not penetrate it. In the present experiment the sperm copies its structure into the ovum.

Click on Start.  Two zygotes are planted: CA-1 (rule = 600) matures into an ovum, and CA-2 (rule = 624) into a sperm. The sperm  attempts to fertilize the ovum. Whenever the CA touch each other,  sperm structure is copied into the ovum and sperm color  changes. The incorporated structure perturbs the egg which nevertheless matures. At a certain stage it produces offspring. However the perturbed egg cannot fully mature and its offspring dies prematurely (abortion) or lives too long.

As maturation continues, the egg stops incorporating the sperm structure  and creates a viable offspring   (rule=3300).  CA-3  lives for 46 states whereupon it is killed and replaced with a new offspring.

If the mature egg places itself beyond the applet border, click on Infection and it will return to the center. 

The experiment demonstrates that during fertilization   sperm structure is copied and incorporated by the egg. The sperm oscillates between several memory states and during every encounter a different state is copied by the egg. The egg continues sampling the sperm until it finds a state which does not perturb it whereupon it fully matures and produces a viable offspring. If such a state is not found, the egg applies the parthenogenesis strategy  of the previous experiment.