Reflections on the origin of life: More than an 'evolutionary' problem

Authors

  • Kepa Ruiz-Mirazo University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Biophysics Unit (CSIC, UPV/EHU).
  • Alvaro Moreno University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU).

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7203/metode.6.4997

Keywords:

Self-organisation, protocells, metabolism, phenotypic/functional diversity, open evolution

Abstract

This paper argues that the question of the origin of life cannot be explained by appealing exclusively to Darwinian evolutionary mechanisms, as many experts tend to assume, but requires a profound change in perspective. Accordingly, we highlight the fact that, in order to operate as a diversification force (and indirectly, a force for a potential increase in complexity), natural selection requires a number of conditions to be met in order for it to be possible: specifically, self-sustained and self-(re-)productive chemical organisation within a sufficiently large phenotypic space (that is, a wide range of functions). Therefore, we suggest an extension of the «self-organising» paradigm towards a «self-(re-)productive» one as an alternative to the main proposals regarding the origin of life, based on molecular populations (typically RNA) subject to Darwinian evolution. Such a paradigm would adequately portray the specificity of the biological phenomenon (particularly, its metabolic and cellular dimension) and would be relevant before, during, and after natural selection started to operate.

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Author Biographies

Kepa Ruiz-Mirazo, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Biophysics Unit (CSIC, UPV/EHU).

Researcher at the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU). He focuses mainly on aspects of philosophical and scientific interest related to the origin and definition of life, at the cross-roads between physics, chemistry, and biology. He works in the Department of Science Logic and Philosophy (FICE), in Donostia-San Sebastián, and is also affiliated to the Science and Technology School in Leioia (Bizkaia, Spain). He is a specialist in proto-cellular models, and after receiving a Ramón y Cajal contract, he was awarded the I3 Certificate to recognise his research career, combining experimentation, computational simulations, and theoretical reflection.

Alvaro Moreno, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU).

Full professor of Science Philosophy at the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU). He created the Biology and Cognition Philosophy Research Group (IAS-Research Group). He is the author of more than 150 scientific publications (including two monographs and four edited volumes) and has made almost as many contributions to national and international conferences. He focuses on the philosophy of biology, artificial life, complex systems, and cognitive science, and his areas of interest encompass the philosophy of biology, general science philosophy, the study of complex systems, self-organisation, artificial life, and the origin of life and cognition.  

References

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Published

2016-04-15

How to Cite

Ruiz-Mirazo, K., & Moreno, A. (2016). Reflections on the origin of life: More than an ’evolutionary’ problem. Metode Science Studies Journal, (6), 151–159. https://doi.org/10.7203/metode.6.4997
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Issue

Science grid: The public understanding of science (2016)

Section

On the origin of life. An incomplete scientific story

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