LifeWiki:Did you know archive

This page contains the various tidbits of information that appear on the LifeWiki main page in the "Did you know..." box.

Did you know...

... that the caterpillar contains over 11 million cells, the 0E0P metacell contains over 18 million cells and the unnamed (34,7)c/156 spaceship contains over 25 million cells?
... that the Gosper glider gun was the first pattern to be discovered that exhibits infinite growth?
... that the block-laying switch engine and the glider-producing switch engine (and various combinations of two switch engines) are the only infinitely-growing patterns that are known to have ever occurred naturally from an asymmetric random starting configuration?
... that it wasn't until 2023 that Conway's Game of Life was proven to be omniperiodic?
... that the pentadecathlon and the blinker are the only known oscillators that are polyominoes in more than one phase?
... that it is impossible for any finite oscillator to be a phoenix with any period other than 2?
... that the 16 × 16 soup with the longest known lifespan lasts for over 52,000 generations before stabilizing?
... that replicators with quadratic population growth have been known to exist in Conway's Game of Life since the early 1970s, but none were found until 2018 when Adam P. Goucher constructed the 0E0P metacell?
... that the first known p23 oscillator was not found until 2019, the first known p38 oscillator was not found until 2022, and the first p19 and p41 oscillators were not found until 2023?
... that a pattern whose population grows without bound but does not tend to infinity is known as a sawtooth?
... that there are over 35.4 billion distinct strict still lifes with 34 or fewer cells?
... that some infinitely-growing patterns can be constructed with as few as three gliders?
... that quadratically-growing patterns have been found with as few as 20 initial cells?
... that the blinker is the only known finite oscillator that is one cell thick?
... that Gemini, the first spaceship found in Conway's Game of Life that travels in an oblique direction, was discovered in 2010?
... that there are still lifes (such as the quad pseudo still life) that can be split into four stable islands, but not two or three?
... that no new spaceship speeds were discovered between 1970 and 1989?
... that the first stable reflector was found in October 1996, and the first fast stable reflector appeared in 2013, allowing the construction of oscillators of all periods ≥43 ticks?
... that twenty-two spaceship velocities have been constructed, excluding several infinitely adjustable families of ships?
... that there are 71 distinct ways for two gliders to collide, but it is unknown how many distinct 3-glider collisions there are?

LifeWiki:Did you know archive

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