What if the most complex behaviors in nature, from slime molds to galaxy formation, could be described in a handful of lines of code? Cellular automatas are systems governed by simple rules that produce complex, beautiful, and alive-looking results.

In this talk, we'll explore a collection of cellular automata live on screen: Conway's Game of Life, reaction-diffusion systems, Langton's Ant, and more. We'll look at the actual rules behind the behavior, spin them up, and watch what happens. Some will surprise you. Some will haunt you a little.