Is There Life in the Cosmos? New Observations and Experiments

by Homology Technology FTWAugust 18th, 2024

Too Long; Didn't Read

This article examines the potential for detecting early forms of life on exoplanets by identifying small molecule collectively autocatalytic sets. It highlights recent advancements in high-diversity small molecule libraries and the feasibility of testing whether such sets can emerge and evolve into more complex biological systems, including prokaryotes and multicellular life.

featured image - Is There Life in the Cosmos? New Observations and Experiments

Authors:

(1) STUART KAUFFMAN;

(2) ANDREA ROL.

Table of Links

Abstract and Introduction

Part I. A Definition of Life

Part II. The first Miracle: The emergence of life is an expected phase transition – TAP and RAF.

Part III. The Second Miracle: The evolution of the biosphere is a propagating, non-deducible construction, not an entailed deduction. There is no Law. Evolution is ever-creative

Part IV. New Observations and Experiments: Is There Life in the Cosmos?

Conclusion and Acknowledgments

Figures and References

Part IV. New Observations and Experiments: Is There Life in the Cosmos?

i. We are discovering ever more exoplanets, (49,50). We seek evidence of life in the atmospheres of these planets, (50). The results discussed here suggest a potent new hope. If we establish that the small molecule collectively autocatalytic sets in all 6700 prokaryotes do reproduce chemically in vitro, we can then seek evidence in the atmospheres of exoplanets of just such small molecule collectively autocatalytic sets. These sets are plausibly the most rudimentary form of life in the universe. Given an identified set of small molecules in an atmosphere, it is calculation to test if that set can function as a small molecule collectively autocatalytic set, as done by Xavier, (11,12). If Yes, we may be seeing life.

ii. It is now feasible to create high diversity small molecule libraries. For example, work by Ott running the Miller Urey experiment starting with only four molecular species for a month yields thousands of small molecules, identified by mass spectrometry, (51). We can now ask if in such systems, small molecule collectively autocatalytic sets can emerge. This is a “Go or No Go” experiment. If No, the theory is probably wrong.

iii. If Yes, we can begin to envision testable pathways beyond small molecule collectively autocatalytic sets to such sets becoming the metabolism of peptide RNA autocatalytic sets with which they co-evolve as new Kantian Wholes. In turn these might evolve to template replication, and even to genetic coding, (52,53,54). Real experiments are needed.

iv. We begin to envision testable pathways from the earliest small molecule Kantian Wholes to the emergence of prokaryotes. From these to the eukaryote may be a long step, but multicellularity arose six or more times. Is the emergence of complex life so very improbable? We do not know. Perhaps not.