Next meeting: Wed 1st August, 16:30, ARUN401

The next NAME meeting will see Chris Gordon-Smith present his research into the origins of life with his SimSoup software.

Abstract:

Network dynamics may have played a key role in the Origin of Life. ‘Smart’ molecules such as template replicators and enzymes may not have been necessary in the first evolving entities. This paper shows evolution of a metabolic network using the SimSoup artificial chemistry simulation. The context and conceptual background for SimSoup is first outlined. The model is then described, and differences with other models are highlighted. SimSoup has network elements that correspond directly to the unimolecular and bimolecular elementary reaction schemes of physical chemistry. These network elements can be combined in very general ways to produce ‘compound interactions’ which can be catalytic.The model includes mass conservation, reaction rates based on considerations of energy and thermodynamics, and cycle detection. A run of the model is presented showing an evolutionary process with selection for high entropy production. The network includes a large number of cyclic flows. It evolves through a series of persistent states, each of which can be regarded as a different ‘species’.