In organic life, the simplest genetic change is a ``point mutation'', in which a single nucleic acid in the genetic code is replaced by one of the three other nucleic acids. This can cause an amino acid substitution in the protein coded by the gene. The nucleic acid replacement can be caused by an error in the replication of the DNA molecule, or it can be caused by the effects of radiation or mutagenic chemicals.
In the digital medium, a comparably simple genetic change can result from a bit flip in the memory, where a one is replaced by a zero, or a zero is replaced by a one. These bit flips can be introduced in a variety of ways that are analogous to the various natural causes of mutation. In any case, the bit flips must be introduced at a low to moderate frequency, as high frequencies of mutation prevent the replication of genetic information, and lead to the death of the system [74].
Bit flips may be introduced at random anywhere in memory, where they may or may not hit memory actually occupied by digital organisms. This could be thought of as analogous to cosmic rays falling at random and disturbing molecules which may or may not be biological in nature. Bit flips may also be introduced when information is copied in the memory, which could be analogous to the replication errors of DNA. Alternatively, bit flips could be introduced in memory as it is accessed, either as data or executable code. This could be thought of as damage due to ``wear and tear''.