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Selection in molecular evolution.
1The Gene Emergence Project, Proto-BioCybernetics & Proto-Cellular Metabolomics, The Origin of Life Science Foundation, Inc., 14005 Youderian Drive, Bowie, MD, 20721-2225, USA.
Studies in History and Philosophy of Science
|August 13, 2024
Summary
Molecular evolution requires active, pre-function selection, unlike passive Darwinian selection. This challenges abiogenesis theories by questioning how inanimate nature could achieve organized molecular advancement without inherent goals or foresight.
Area of Science:
- Origin of Life studies
- Chemical Evolution
- Theoretical Biology
Background:
- Evolution necessitates a selection mechanism for molecular advancement.
- Natural selection, as observed in Darwinian evolution, is a passive process acting on existing life.
- The laws of physics are indifferent to utility or purpose.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the nature of selection required for pre-Darwinian molecular evolution.
- To explore how inanimate nature could achieve organized, multi-step processes without inherent goals.
- To identify potential naturalistic mechanisms for active, pre-functional selection in abiogenesis.
Main Methods:
- Conceptual analysis of physical laws and thermodynamic principles.
- Critique of existing models of self-ordering and non-equilibrium thermodynamics in relation to molecular evolution.
- Exploration of the requirements for active, pre-functional selection at the molecular level.
Main Results:
- Purely physical self-ordering and thermodynamic engines do not account for molecular orchestration.
- Darwinian selection is insufficient for abiogenesis as it is a post-life phenomenon.
- Abiogenesis requires a selection process that is active, pre-functional, and efficacious at the molecular level.
Conclusions:
- Standard natural selection cannot explain the origin of life.
- The emergence of complex molecular systems requires a form of selection operating before life's existence.
- Further research into naturalistic mechanisms for active, pre-functional molecular selection is crucial for understanding abiogenesis.
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