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Prebiotic chemistry, artificial life, and complexity theory: What do they tell us about the origin of biological systems?

  • 2. Origins of Life and Evolution
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Advances in Artificial Life (ECAL 1995)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNAI,volume 929))

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Abstract

Although the origin of self-sustaining, autoreplicating systems capable of undergoing Darwinian evolution is still unknown, a research program based on the hypothesis of chemical and precellular evolution has provided a framework within which the abiotic synthesis of biochemical monomers and membrane components, the experimental study of replicative systems, and the interactions between different ribozymes and a potentially wide range of substrates including amino acids, can be incorporated into a coherent historical narrative of evolutionary events. The significance of mathematical models and computer-based simulations of autocatalytic cycles based on complexity theory to the study of the origin of life will be considerable enhanced when experimental evidence supporting them becomes available.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Facultad de Ciencias, UNAM, Cd. Universitaria, Apdo. Postal 70-407, 04510, México, D.F. Mexico

    Antonio Lazcano

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  1. Antonio Lazcano
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Federico Morán Alvaro Moreno Juan Julián Merelo Pablo Chacón

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© 1995 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Lazcano, A. (1995). Prebiotic chemistry, artificial life, and complexity theory: What do they tell us about the origin of biological systems?. In: Morán, F., Moreno, A., Merelo, J.J., Chacón, P. (eds) Advances in Artificial Life. ECAL 1995. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 929. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-59496-5_292

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-59496-5_292

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-59496-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-540-49286-3

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