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Spontaneous Emergence of Self-replication in Chemical Reaction Systems by Liu, Yu; Sumpter, David is a scholarly article available to read on EtoBox.

What is Spontaneous Emergence of Self-replication in Chemical Reaction Systems about?

Explaining the origin of life requires us to explain how self-replication arises. To be specific, how can a self-replicating entity develop spontaneously from a chemical reaction system in which no reaction is self-replicating? Previously proposed mathematical models either supply an explicit framework for a minimal living system or only consider catalyzed reactions, and thus fail to provide a comprehensive theory. We set up a general model for chemical reaction systems that properly accounts for energetics, kinetics and the conservation law. We find that (1) some systems are collectively-catalytic where reactants are transformed into end products with the assistance of intermediates (as in the citric acid cycle), while some others are self-replicating where different parts replicate each other and the system self-replicates as a whole (as in the formose reaction); (2) many alternative chemical universes often contain one or more such systems; (3) it is possible to construct a self-replicating system where the entropy of some parts spontaneously decreases, in a manner similar to that discussed by Schr\"odinger; (4) complex self-replicating molecules can emerge spontaneously and rel

Author

Liu, Yu; Sumpter, David

Published

2018

Language

EN