Origin of life in a digital microcosm

Area of Science:

• Origin of Life Studies
• Computational Biology
• Digital Evolution

Background:

• The evolutionary history of life on Earth traces back to a common ancestor.
• Debate exists whether the first self-replicator arose from a single origin event or was the sole survivor of multiple origins.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the origin of self-replicating entities using a computational system.
• To analyze the fitness landscape and evolvability of minimal-genome self-replicators.
• To model competition dynamics akin to a primordial soup scenario.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the digital evolution system Avida to simulate self-replicating computer programs.
• Generated an exhaustive set of minimal-genome self-replicators.
• Analyzed the network structure of the fitness landscape and genomic architecture's impact on evolvability.
• Studied differential population takeover abilities through competition.

Main Results:

• Self-replicator evolvability is contingent upon genomic architecture.
• The probability of a self-replicator outcompeting others is non-uniform.
• Progenitor genotypes are concentrated in a specific region of the replicator space.

Conclusions:

• Computational systems provide a viable platform for testing hypotheses on the origin of life.
• The study suggests that early life's origins might not have been a singular event.
• Competition dynamics and genomic structure significantly influenced the survival and proliferation of early self-replicators.