What to watch
- The first expansion quickly stops looking like the starting heptomino.
- A Herschel appears partway through the evolution.
- It stabilizes much faster than Acorn but still outlives most tiny seeds.
Methuselahs
B-heptomino
A common seven-cell methuselah that produces a Herschel during its evolution.
The B-heptomino is a practical bridge between simple methuselahs and later Life engineering because it passes through a Herschel, a key signal object in many constructions.
B-heptomino is a compact methuselah to compare next
B-heptomino starts with seven cells in a 4 x 3 bounding box and stabilizes after 148 generations. It is useful after R-pentomino because it is shorter but still produces a rich transient.
Methuselahs7 cells4 x 3 box148 generations lifespanfinal: 26 cells
- Category
- Methuselahs
- Period
- Long-lived seed
- Movement
- bounded
- Population
- 7 cells
- Bounding box
- 4 x 3
- Lifespan
- 148 generations
- Final state
- 26 cells
- Known since
- 1970
How to use it
Use it after the R-pentomino to compare a shorter methuselah that still creates recognizable intermediate objects.
Explore the complete 3×3 seed experiment
Open the pattern in the lab, reduce the speed, and use single-step mode when a phase change is hard to see. The green preview marks births in the next generation; red outlines mark live cells that will die.
Fast answers
Common questions about B-heptomino
How large is the B-heptomino seed?
The standard B-heptomino shown here contains seven live cells in a 4 x 3 bounding box.
How long does B-heptomino last?
It has a lifespan of 148 generations in standard Conway Life.
Why compare B-heptomino with Herschel?
A Herschel appears during the B-heptomino evolution, so running both patterns helps connect methuselah behavior to later signal engineering.
Next experiments
Compare nearby patterns
Move between similar structures to see which facts change: box size, lifespan, extinction, motion, and final ash.
Herschel
A seven-cell methuselah and important signal object in Life circuitry.
- Size
- 3 x 4
- Lifespan
- 128 generations
R-pentomino
A five-cell seed that takes over one thousand generations to stabilize.
- Size
- 3 x 3
- Lifespan
- 1,103 generations
Acorn
A seven-cell seed with a famously long chaotic evolution.
- Size
- 7 x 3
- Lifespan
- 5,206 generations
Edna
A 149-cell methuselah that pushed automated soup lifespans past 31,000 generations.
- Size
- 20 x 20
- Lifespan
- 31,192 generations