Evolutionary Abilities of Minimalistic Physicochemical Models of Life Processes

Abstract

The ability of living organisms to persist, grow, evolve and invade environments seemingly challenges physical laws. Emerging Autonomous Systems representing autocatalytic cycles constituted of energized components in a state of Dynamic Kinetic Stability feature some of these properties. These simple theoretical models can grow, can be transferred but need an initiation to emerge and can collapse. Moreover, they can undergo kinetic selection in a way consistent with Darwinian behaviour, though they lack the ability to undergo change. The mere existence of these systems and their open-ended growth potential are proposed to constitute a transmissible factor of a non-coded kind. The onset and selection of epigenetic factors may therefore have preceded that of genetic polymers. Here is addressed the question of how these systems may arise from the diversity exhibited by abiotic organic matter, sometimes associated with intractable mixtures, which may actually be useful in providing initiators. The Darwinian description of evolution may therefore be merged without critical discontinuity within an origin scenario. Accordingly, such a theory would rests solely on physicochemical laws beginning with the potential of emerging autonomous systems to compete and invade the space dimension, and to further develop along other available dimensions including variability and, possibly, cognition.

Keywords: Emerging autonomous systems; Epigenetics; Kinetic selection; Metabolism; Origin of life.