Molecules prefer to be "deserters" and "free riders", but as soon as conditions worsen, they
What did the authors of the new work do?
The new hypothesis was published as an article in the journal Life. Its authors are PhD student Alexandre Champagne-Ruel and his supervisor Paul Charbonneau, Professor in the Department of Physics at the University of Montreal.
The authors of the study took as a basis the hypothesis aboutthat life originated on Earth in networks of self-replicating molecules. Self-replicating molecules are a dynamic system in which an identical or similar copy of itself is created. Biological cells in a suitable environment multiply through cell division. During cell division, DNA is replicated and can be passed on to offspring during reproduction.
Researchers have developed computer modelsdifferent environments to observe how such self-replicating molecules interact. This is necessary to simulate events that could have occurred during the origin of life.
“Physicists often study various complex forms, inespecially the origin of life. There are several models according to which, when life emerged, there was active cooperation between the participants in this process, ”said Champagne-Ruel.
Researchers have developed computer models of different environments to observe how such self-replicating molecules interact.
Why did they need Darwin's theory of evolution?
Champagne-Ruel and Charbonneau first built their model, which is based on the prisoner's dilemma. This is a game theory scenario that is used in a number of scientific fields.
At the heart of this problem is a plot about two prisoners,who are suspected of committing a crime. They were detained by the police and put in different cells. Now each prisoner must decide whether to confess what he did or remain silent.
Both criminals are sitting in different cells, socannot confer, but they know that if both do not confess, they will be released in 6 months due to the lack of evidence of a crime. If both admit guilt, they will serve two years. And if one confesses, but the second does not, then the first will be released, and the second will be imprisoned for three years. The essence of the dilemma is that no matter what your opponent does, you will gain more if you desert (tell on your accomplice) than if you cooperate (keep silent). But it will be better for both if they decide to cooperate.
The authors of the new work used to buildmodel this dilemma. They then added the three core principles of the Darwinian system—selection, heritability, and variation (or mutation)—and ran simulations on a grid where the “players” acted freely and repetitively.
“During the simulation, we calculated strategies,who scored points. We selected them and made them free to circulate, recreating the dynamics that may have prevailed in a prebiotic environment,” Champagne-Ruel explained.
What surprised the authors during the simulation
During the interactions, Champagne-Ruel discovered thatthat the players who defected dominate. In some variations, such players are also called free riders. This, he says, is a known result of evolutionary game theory for this type of modeling.
But when players get error rates,which is not only inherited, but also subject to mutations, then the system is captured by those who cooperate. Once they are in an evolutionary environment where there is heritability and variability, cooperation flourishes. This happens even if initially there was a competitive environment where everyone deserted.
Physicists noted that such a sharp transition tocooperation resembles what in physics is called a phase transition. It is a sudden spontaneous reorganization of a system, such as when water reaches the boiling point.
“Our model supports the idea that the emergence of life may be similar to a phase transition. This hypothesis is similar to those that have already been put forward,” Champagne-Ruel said.
The model supports the idea that the emergence of life can be like a phase transition.
Is there cooperation in the origin of life on other planets
Champagne-Ruel's results show that even if a system does not have developed genomes and complex behavior of organisms, cooperation and cooperation can still arise.
"If cooperation between molecules andorganisms arise so easily in nature, this suggests that life can also exist in unfavorable conditions. We could potentially find it in the near future with the help of the James Webb Space Telescope,” noted Champagne-Ruel. “Astrobiologists should not ignore any clues, because natural cooperation - and therefore life - may even emerge in an environment that seems unfavorable.”
Read more
Diagnosis in a minute: how IT is changing healthcare
Scientists have found the largest plant: its length is 180 km, and its age is about 4.5 thousand years
Monkeypox is becoming a global virus: why it is transmitted so quickly