Making biological theory more down to Earth.

Area of Science:

• Origin of Life Studies
• Systems Chemistry
• Biochemistry

Background:

• Living organisms possess self-describing, translating, and constructing components.
• Self-organization often involves material vehicles maintaining identity through constituent exchange.
• This material exchange addresses self-referential logical complexities in self-organization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the role of material exchange in self-organization and the origin of life.
• To investigate how metabolism could precede complex metabolism-replication systems.
• To provide a material basis for understanding self-identity in dynamic systems.

Main Methods:

• Theoretical analysis of self-referential dynamics and material exchange.
• Experimental simulation of prebiotic environments, specifically hydrothermal vents.
• Observation of the citric acid cycle in the absence of biological enzymes under simulated prebiotic conditions.

Main Results:

• Material exchange is a viable mechanism for maintaining system identity and overcoming logical paradoxes.
• The citric acid cycle can function under simulated prebiotic conditions without enzymes.
• This suggests metabolism could emerge prior to complex replication systems.

Conclusions:

• Metabolism's emergence is facilitated by material exchange mechanisms, supporting early life development.
• Internalizing dynamic descriptions within the system's processes is key to self-organization.
• This framework offers a material explanation for the transition from simple chemistry to biological complexity.