Biotic Abstract Dual Automata (BiADA): A Novel Tool for Studying the Evolution of Prebiotic Order (and the Origin of Life)

Abstract

Biotic Abstract Dual Automata (BiADA), a novel simulation concept for studying the evolution of prebiotic order, has four main attributes. (1) The energy of each form of organization is the sum of two stocks: entropy-associated energy (E _s) and free energy (E _g), with dissimilar meaning, energy conductive, and energy exchange properties; (2) E _s and E _g have user-defined absolute values and are not derived from the relative thermodynamic parameters standard entropy and standard Gibbs free energy; (3) BiADA analyzes changes in both units of transformation and units of organization; and (4) BiADA-based models analyze forward and reverse transformations separately and the brut production of forms of organization. We discuss quantitative relationships between energy, information, and order parameters proposed in BiADA-based simulations. The example we show is that of a simple system with two forms of organization. The model monitors the energy flow and budget, the evolution of order and information capacity, and the energy cost of producing and maintaining the system's state. We show the effect of six prebiotic factors on the evolution of order and energy dissipative potential of the system. These are the initial state of the system, energy availability, the intrinsic energy conductivity, catalysis of “A to B” transformations, B autocatalysis, and the terminal heat sink. We discuss benefits of employing BiADA principles in the study of the origin of order in more complex networks. Key Words: Origin of life—Prebiotic evolution—Early Earth—Modeling studies—Astrobiology. Astrobiology 12, 1123–1134.