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Published on: August 14, 2018
Codepoietic biological evolution: From the origin of life to eukaryogenesis
1Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St John's, NL, Canada.
Bio Systems
|July 27, 2026
Summary
Codepoiesis, the creation of new biological codes, drives evolution by enhancing computational power. This process, originating with RNA, shaped early life and led to complex organisms through interactions between Bacteria and Archaea.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary Biology
- Systems Biology
- Biocomputational Systems
Background:
- Autopoietic systems exhibit natural computation via formal self-descriptions.
- Codepoiesis, the introduction of new codes, enhances biological system computing power.
- This process is analogous to Gödel numbering in formal systems.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore codepoiesis as a fundamental mechanism in biological evolution.
- To elucidate the role of ribotypes in early evolutionary codemaking.
- To analyze the evolutionary contributions of Bacteria and Archaea interactions.
Main Methods:
- Conceptual analysis linking autopoiesis, computation, and codemaking.
- Comparative analysis of horizontal gene transfer in Bacteria and Archaea.
- Tracing the evolutionary trajectory from early life to eukaryotes.
Main Results:
- Ribotypes preceded genotype and phenotype, guiding codepoiesis.
- Distinct codepoiesis realizations in Bacteria and Archaea.
- Interactions between Bacteria and Archaea facilitated eukaryotic cell emergence.
Conclusions:
- Codepoiesis is the fundamental driving force of biological evolution.
- This process spans from primordial life to complex behaviors and consciousness.
- Understanding codepoiesis offers insights into the origins of life and complexity.
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