Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 15, 2026
07:26
Designing Automated, High-throughput, Continuous Cell Growth Experiments Using eVOLVER
Published on: May 19, 2019
A universal definition of life: autonomy and open-ended evolution
Kepa Ruiz-Mirazo1, Juli Peretó, Alvaro Moreno
1Centre of Astrobiology (INTA/CSIC), Madrid, Spain.
Summary
Life requires self-sustaining systems and collective organization for evolution. Living beings are defined as autonomous systems with open-ended evolution, needing membranes, energy transduction, and interdependent catalysts and records for complexity.
Area of Science:
- * Astrobiology and origins of life research.
- * Theoretical biology and systems biology.
- * Biophysics and biochemistry.
Background:
- * Life is a complex phenomenon involving individual self-production and collective organization.
- * Existing definitions of life often focus on individual characteristics, potentially overlooking collective dynamics.
- * Evolutionary dynamics are intrinsically linked to the organization of life at multiple scales.
Purpose of the Study:
- * To propose a universal definition of living beings as autonomous systems with open-ended evolution.
- * To identify essential components and organizational principles for such systems.
- * To explore the implications of this definition for understanding life's complexity and evolution.
Main Methods:
- * Conceptual framework development based on systems theory and evolutionary principles.
- * Identification of core functional requirements for autonomous, evolving systems.
- * Analysis of the interplay between individual agents and collective networks.
Main Results:
- * Living beings are defined as autonomous systems with open-ended evolution capacities.
- * Essential components include a semi-permeable active boundary (membrane), energy transduction, and interdependent catalysts and records.
- * Phenotype-genotype decoupling, enabled by records, facilitates increased individual complexity within a network.
Conclusions:
- * A comprehensive definition of life must integrate individual and collective levels of organization.
- * Living systems are fundamentally part of an ecosystem's evolutionary process.
- * This definition has implications for research in origins of life, synthetic biology, and astrobiology.
Related Concept Videos
01:23Characteristics of Life
Biology is a natural science that studies life and living organisms, including their structure, function, development, interactions, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. The field's scope is extensive and divided into several specialized disciplines, such as anatomy, physiology, ethology, genetics, and many more. All living things share a few key traits, including cellular organization, heritable genetic material and the ability to adapt/evolve, metabolism to regulate energy needs, the...
02:55The Evidence for Evolution
Genetic variations accumulating within populations over generations give rise to biological evolution. Evolutionary changes can result in the formation of novel varieties and entire new species. These changes are responsible for the diverse forms of life inhabiting the planet. The evidence for evolution suggests that all living organisms descended from common ancestors.The collection of fossils within sedimentary rocks give a record of common ancestry and often depicts the history of evolution.
02:40The Tree of Life - Bacteria, Archaea, Eukaryotes
The “tree of life” describes the evolution of life and the evolutionary relationships between organisms. The root of the tree is the common ancestor to all life on Earth. All other species radiate from this point, much like the branches of a tree. The numerous tips of these branches on the tree of life represent every living, or extant, species. Extinct species, which are species that no longer exist, can be found towards the center of the tree. Currently, these organisms, both extant and...
01:26Requirements for Human Life
The Earth and its atmosphere have provided humans with air, water, and food, but these are not the only requirements for survival. Humans also require a specific range of temperature and pressure that the Earth and its atmosphere provides.
Oxygen
Atmospheric air is only about 20 percent oxygen, but that oxygen is a key component of the chemical reactions that keep the body alive, including the reactions that produce ATP. Brain cells are susceptible to a lack of oxygen because they require a...
Oxygen
Atmospheric air is only about 20 percent oxygen, but that oxygen is a key component of the chemical reactions that keep the body alive, including the reactions that produce ATP. Brain cells are susceptible to a lack of oxygen because they require a...
01:24Origin of Cellular Life
The origin of life on Earth is a complex and enigmatic event rooted in ancient biochemical processes and geological conditions. Experimental evidence supports the hypothesis that life began with the spontaneous formation of organic molecules such as RNA nucleotides, amino acids, and lipids under early Earth conditions. Factors like volcanic activity, intense UV radiation, and a reducing atmosphere without free oxygen likely facilitated these reactions. Hydrothermal vents on the ocean floor are...
01:24Evolution of New Traits in Microbes
Microorganisms evolve rapidly due to their large population sizes and short generation times, often exhibiting measurable changes within days under laboratory conditions. Natural selection acts on standing genetic variation, enabling the retention and amplification of beneficial traits that confer fitness advantages in changing environments.Adaptive Pigment Regulation in RhodobacterIn Rhodobacter, a genus of purple non-sulfur bacteria, light-harvesting pigments such as bacteriochlorophyll and...