A study crossing the boundaries between science fiction and scientific laws explores the potential limits of life as we know it and beyond.
It draws on various scientific disciplines to suggest fundamental constraints on the forms life might take, both on Earth and elsewhere.
Exploring Extraterrestrial and Artificial Life
Extraterrestrial and artificial life have always fascinated humankind. With knowledge rooted in the building blocks of Earth’s biosphere, can we predict how life might exist on other planets? What natural laws or limitations might shape the Frankenstein-like life forms we hope to create in labs?
Scientific Limits of Life Forms
A study published in Interface Focus by several Santa Fe Institute researchers moves these questions from the realm of science fiction into the realm of science. By examining case studies in thermodynamics, computation, genetics, cellular development, brain science, ecology, and evolution, the researchers identified fundamental limits that make certain forms of life impossible.
These limits include the need for systems that reduce entropy (such as the ability to heal or repair), the inevitability of closed-compartment cells as the building blocks of life, and decision-making systems — like brains — that process information through neuron-like components.
Universal Logic in Life Systems
The authors point to historical examples where people predicted some complex features of life that biologists later confirmed. Examples include the Schrodinger view of information molecules as “aperiodic crystals,” or mid-century simulations predicting that parasites are inevitable when complex life evolves. That such correct predictions were possible with almost no available evidence suggests all living systems follow an underlying universal logic.
Reference: “Fundamental constraints to the logic of living systems” by Ricard Solé, Christopher P. Kempes, Bernat Corominas-Murtra, Manlio De Domenico, Artemy Kolchinsky, Michael Lachmann, Eric Libby, Serguei Saavedra, Eric Smith and David Wolpert, 25 October 2024, Interface Focus.
DOI: 10.1098/rsfs.2024.0010
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