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Origin of life: a theory of fundamental universal structure of life

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Abstract

In this article, the universal structure of life is aimed to be clarified. We assert that the life is a double-structured system. As fundamental layer of the life, thermodynamically non-equilibrium circulative process is working. In the flow of entropy from sun, intermediating earth, to the cold universe, living system disposes the entropy produced in the living process. The upper layer of the living system is structured by the process of information-based ordering. As the physical system becomes too complicate, the physical ambiguity emerges, where the minimum energy principle of physics cannot determine the physical state uniquely. When this “open state space” emerges, the possibility of encoding the symbol to the state freely from the energy constraint comes out. The selection action between the open states is evaluated by the fitness of result of the action. The open state become stochastically biased because of the difference of fitness of each state, and the information of each state by the definition of Shannon comes out. Systemization based on the information amount of each component and information transmission between the components becomes possible. Selection action becomes to evaluate the present action to select from the fitness of future. Thus, biological temporality which flow from future to present emerges. In conclusion, life is double-structured system which is constructed based on “future intentionality” which produces the “biological” temporality.

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Correspondence to Hiroshi Tanaka.

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This work was presented in part at the International Symposium on Biocomplexity (ISBC) 2019 Summer Symposium (Tokyo, August 9, 2019).

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Tanaka, H. Origin of life: a theory of fundamental universal structure of life. Artif Life Robotics 25, 173–177 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10015-020-00599-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10015-020-00599-2

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