Modeling the Emergence of Complexity: Complex Systems, the Origin of Life and Interactive On-Line Art

Leonardo ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 161-169 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christa Sommerer ◽  
Laurent Mignonneau
Keyword(s):  
Complex System ◽  
System Theory ◽  
Complex Systems ◽  
Origin Of Life ◽  
Fundamental Question ◽  
Interactive System ◽  
The Internet ◽  
On Line ◽  
The Origin Of Life ◽  
Emergence Of Complexity

The origin of this paper lies in the fundamental question of how complexity arose in the course of evolution and how one might construct an artistic interactive system to model and simulate this emergence of complexity. Relying on the idea that interaction and communication between entities of a system drive the emergence of structures that are more complex than the mere parts of that system, the authors propose to apply principles of complex system theory to the creation of VERBARIUM, an interactive, computer-generated and audience-participatory artwork on the Internet, and to test whether complexity can emerge within this system.

scholarly journals A Teaching Resource for a Computational Framework of the Value of Information in Origin of Life

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
soumya banerjee ◽  
joyeeta ghose
Keyword(s):  
Complex Systems ◽  
Origin Of Life ◽  
Value Of Information ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Computational Framework ◽  
Teaching Resource ◽  
Processing Information ◽  
The Origin Of Life ◽  
Role Of Information

Information plays a critical role in complex biological systems. Complex systems like immune systems andant colonies co-ordinate heterogeneous components in a decentralized fashion. How do these distributeddecentralized systems function? One key component is how these complex systems efficiently processinformation. These complex systems have an architecture for integrating and processing information comingin from various sources and points to the value of information in the functioning of different complexbiological systems. This paper is a teaching resource that explains the role of information processing inquestions around the origin of life and suggests how computational simulations may yield insights intoquestions related to the origin of life.

scholarly journals Chemobrionics: From Self-Assembled Material Architectures to the Origin of Life

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 315-326 ◽  
Author(s):  
Silvana S. S. Cardoso ◽  
Julyan H. E. Cartwright ◽  
Jitka Čejková ◽  
Leroy Cronin ◽  
Anne De Wit ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mathematical Modeling ◽  
Complex Systems ◽  
Origin Of Life ◽  
Fundamental Science ◽  
Precipitation Processes ◽  
The Origin Of Life ◽  
Self Assembled ◽  
Chemical Gardens ◽  
Shed Light ◽  
Self Organizing

Self-organizing precipitation processes, such as chemical gardens forming biomimetic micro- and nanotubular forms, have the potential to show us new fundamental science to explore, quantify, and understand nonequilibrium physicochemical systems, and shed light on the conditions for life's emergence. The physics and chemistry of these phenomena, due to the assembly of material architectures under a flux of ions, and their exploitation in applications, have recently been termed chemobrionics. Advances in understanding in this area require a combination of expertise in physics, chemistry, mathematical modeling, biology, and nanoengineering, as well as in complex systems and nonlinear and materials sciences, giving rise to this new synergistic discipline of chemobrionics.

scholarly journals Asymptotic Information-Theoretic Detection of Dynamical Organization in Complex Systems

Entropy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 398
Author(s):  
Gianluca D’Addese ◽  
Laura Sani ◽  
Luca La Rocca ◽  
Roberto Serra ◽  
Marco Villani
Keyword(s):  
Dynamical Systems ◽  
Complex Systems ◽  
Origin Of Life ◽  
Asymptotic Distribution ◽  
Random Variables ◽  
Computationally Efficient ◽  
Information Theoretic ◽  
Simple Index ◽  
Formidable Challenge ◽  
The Origin Of Life

The identification of emergent structures in complex dynamical systems is a formidable challenge. We propose a computationally efficient methodology to address such a challenge, based on modeling the state of the system as a set of random variables. Specifically, we present a sieving algorithm to navigate the huge space of all subsets of variables and compare them in terms of a simple index that can be computed without resorting to simulations. We obtain such a simple index by studying the asymptotic distribution of an information-theoretic measure of coordination among variables, when there is no coordination at all, which allows us to fairly compare subsets of variables having different cardinalities. We show that increasing the number of observations allows the identification of larger and larger subsets. As an example of relevant application, we make use of a paradigmatic case regarding the identification of groups in autocatalytic sets of reactions, a chemical situation related to the origin of life problem.

scholarly journals A ROADMAP FOR A COMPUTATIONAL AND INFORMATIONAL THEORY OF LIFE

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
soumya banerjee
Keyword(s):  
Information Processing ◽  
Complex Systems ◽  
Origin Of Life ◽  
Biological Systems ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Life Forms ◽  
The Origin Of Life ◽  
The Universe ◽  
Carbon Based

Information plays a critical role in complex biological systems. Complex systems like immune systems andant colonies co-ordinate heterogeneous components in a decentralized fashion. How do these distributeddecentralized systems function? One key component is how these complex systems efficiently processinformation. These complex systems have an architecture for integrating and processing informationcoming in from various sources and points to the value of information in the functioning of differentcomplex biological systems. This article proposes a role for information processing in questions aroundthe origin of life and suggests how computational simulations may yield insights into questions related tothe origin of life.Such a computational model of the origin of life would unify thermodynamics with information processingand we would gain an appreciation of why proteins and nucleotides evolved as the substrate ofcomputation and information processing in living systems that we see on Earth. Answers to questionslike these may give us insights into non-carbon based forms of life that we could search for outside Earth.We hypothesize that carbon-based life forms are only one amongst a continuum of life-like systems inthe universe. Investigations into the role of computational substrates that allow information processingis important and could yield insights into:1) novel non-carbon based computational substrates that may have “life-like” properties, and2) how life may have actually originated from non-life on Earth.Life may exist as a continuum between non-life and life and we may have to revise our notion oflife and how common it is in the universe. Looking at life or life-like phenomenon through the lens ofinformation theory may yield a broader view of life.

The Tempo and mode(S) of Prebiotic Evolution

1997 ◽  
Vol 161 ◽  
pp. 419-429 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio Lazcano
Keyword(s):  
Origin Of Life ◽  
Organic Compounds ◽  
Biological Evolution ◽  
Current Evidence ◽  
Early Diversification ◽  
Time Period ◽  
The Galaxy ◽  
History Of ◽  
Widespread Phenomenon ◽  
The Origin Of Life

AbstractDifferent current ideas on the origin of life are critically examined. Comparison of the now fashionable FeS/H2S pyrite-based autotrophic theory of the origin of life with the heterotrophic viewpoint suggest that the later is still the most fertile explanation for the emergence of life. However, the theory of chemical evolution and heterotrophic origins of life requires major updating, which should include the abandonment of the idea that the appearance of life was a slow process involving billions of years. Stability of organic compounds and the genetics of bacteria suggest that the origin and early diversification of life took place in a time period of the order of 10 million years. Current evidence suggest that the abiotic synthesis of organic compounds may be a widespread phenomenon in the Galaxy and may have a deterministic nature. However, the history of the biosphere does not exhibits any obvious trend towards greater complexity or «higher» forms of life. Therefore, the role of contingency in biological evolution should not be understimated in the discussions of the possibilities of life in the Universe.

Photochemical Evolution of Interstellar/Precometary Organic Material

1997 ◽  
Vol 161 ◽  
pp. 23-47 ◽  
Author(s):  
Louis J. Allamandola ◽  
Max P. Bernstein ◽  
Scott A. Sandford
Keyword(s):  
Origin Of Life ◽  
Building Blocks ◽  
Complex Species ◽  
Infrared Observations ◽  
Interstellar Ice ◽  
Polycyclic Aromatic ◽  
Ultraviolet Photolysis ◽  
The Origin Of Life ◽  
Simple Molecules ◽  
Complex Organic

AbstractInfrared observations, combined with realistic laboratory simulations, have revolutionized our understanding of interstellar ice and dust, the building blocks of comets. Since comets are thought to be a major source of the volatiles on the primative earth, their organic inventory is of central importance to questions concerning the origin of life. Ices in molecular clouds contain the very simple molecules H2O, CH3OH, CO, CO2, CH4, H2, and probably some NH3and H2CO, as well as more complex species including nitriles, ketones, and esters. The evidence for these, as well as carbonrich materials such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), microdiamonds, and amorphous carbon is briefly reviewed. This is followed by a detailed summary of interstellar/precometary ice photochemical evolution based on laboratory studies of realistic polar ice analogs. Ultraviolet photolysis of these ices produces H2, H2CO, CO2, CO, CH4, HCO, and the moderately complex organic molecules: CH3CH2OH (ethanol), HC(= O)NH2(formamide), CH3C(= O)NH2(acetamide), R-CN (nitriles), and hexamethylenetetramine (HMT, C6H12N4), as well as more complex species including polyoxymethylene and related species (POMs), amides, and ketones. The ready formation of these organic species from simple starting mixtures, the ice chemistry that ensues when these ices are mildly warmed, plus the observation that the more complex refractory photoproducts show lipid-like behavior and readily self organize into droplets upon exposure to liquid water suggest that comets may have played an important role in the origin of life.

A hitchhiker’s guide to microscopy and microanalysis using telecommunications, e-mail, and the Internet

1994 ◽  
Vol 52 ◽  
pp. 390-391 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nestor J. Zaluzec
Keyword(s):  
The Internet ◽  
Information Superhighway ◽  
The World ◽  
Exchange Information ◽  
On Line ◽  
Computer Based ◽  
Software And Hardware ◽  
Communication Software ◽  
Basic Ideas ◽  
E Mail

The Information SuperHighway, Email, The Internet, FTP, BBS, Modems, : all buzz words which are becoming more and more routine in our daily life. Confusing terminology? Hopefully it won't be in a few minutes, all you need is to have a handle on a few basic concepts and terms and you will be on-line with the rest of the "telecommunication experts". These terms all refer to some type or aspect of tools associated with a range of computer-based communication software and hardware. They are in fact far less complex than the instruments we use on a day to day basis as microscopist's and microanalyst's. The key is for each of us to know what each is and how to make use of the wealth of information which they can make available to us for the asking. Basically all of these items relate to mechanisms and protocols by which we as scientists can easily exchange information rapidly and efficiently to colleagues in the office down the hall, or half-way around the world using computers and various communications media. The purpose of this tutorial/paper is to outline and demonstrate the basic ideas of some of the major information systems available to all of us today. For the sake of simplicity we will break this presentation down into two distinct (but as we shall see later connected) areas: telecommunications over conventional phone lines, and telecommunications by computer networks. Live tutorial/demonstrations of both procedures will be presented in the Computer Workshop/Software Exchange during the course of the meeting.

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