Well, sort of. Animation studios, manufacturing firms and medicine are turning to the once-obscure field of artificial life to provide solutions to some of their toughest problems...

The field of artificial life, or a-life as it has come to be known, is about as broad a pursuit as any in science. The pieces of the puzzle are so numerous and complex that studying even the simplest of them can entail a lifetime of research...

In many ways, the strange pieces of computer art provide the clearest illustration of the unpredictable union of machines and life. From intricately patterned prints to autonomous computer animations with imaginary creatures flitting about the screen, there is an engaging sense of mystery over how such complexity can spring from a mere machine.

An art exhibit at UCLA's recent "a-life" conference displayed... Computer games such as "Creatures" from CyberLife Technology, that use some form of a-life have already begun to appear on the market. And in the world of art, a group of artists has organized an informal school it calls the algorists...

At the UCLA conference last month, a steady stream of viewers stopped to play a sort of computer game titled "The Bush Soul," presented by Rebecca Allen, chairman of UCLA's design department.. (It) drew a continual flow of onlookers intrigued at the subtle interplay.

"It is the movement that is the art to me," Allen said as she watched groups of people take their turns with the joystick. "They really seem to be alive, and that is what is freaky."

Times staff writer Ashley Dunn can be reached viia e-mail at ashley.dunn@latimes.com

Los Angeles Times, Monday, July 6, 1998. Business Section D, pages D1 and D6.