Research program for a search of the origin of Darwinian evolution : Research program for a vesicle-based model of the origin of Darwinian evolution on prebiotic early Earth

Orig Life Evol Biosph. 2017 Mar;47(1):57-68. doi: 10.1007/s11084-016-9482-5. Epub 2016 Mar 11.

Abstract

The search for origin of 'life' is made even more complicated by differing definitions of the subject matter, although a general consensus is that an appropriate definition should center on Darwinian evolution (Cleland and Chyba 2002). Within a physical approach which has been defined as a level-4 evolution (Tessera and Hoelzer 2013), one mechanism could be described showing that only three conditions are required to allow natural selection to apply to populations of different system lineages. This approach leads to a vesicle- based model with the necessary properties. Of course such a model has to be tested. Thus, after a brief presentation of the model an experimental program is proposed that implements the different steps able to show whether this new direction of the research in the field is valid and workable.

Keywords: Catalysis; Experiments; Hydrothermal vents; Lipidic vesicles; Model; Origin of Darwinian Evolution; Origin of life; Research program.

MeSH terms

  • Biological Evolution*
  • Earth, Planet
  • Evolution, Chemical*
  • Evolution, Planetary
  • Models, Biological
  • Models, Chemical
  • Origin of Life*
  • Research Design*