Details
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 175 |
| Number of pages | 24 |
| Journal | Life |
| Volume | 14 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| Publication status | Published - 24 Jan 2024 |
Abstract
The role of evolutionary theory at the origin of life is an extensively debated topic. The origin and early development of life is usually separated into a prebiotic phase and a protocellular phase, ultimately leading to the Last Universal Common Ancestor. Most likely, the Last Universal Common Ancestor was subject to Darwinian evolution, but the question remains to what extent Darwinian evolution applies to the prebiotic and protocellular phases. In this review, we reflect on the current status of evolutionary theory in origins of life research by bringing together philosophy of science, evolutionary biology, and empirical research in the origins field. We explore the various ways in which evolutionary theory has been extended beyond biology; we look at how these extensions apply to the prebiotic development of (proto)metabolism; and we investigate how the terminology from evolutionary theory is currently being employed in state-of-the-art origins of life research. In doing so, we identify some of the current obstacles to an evolutionary account of the origins of life, as well as open up new avenues of research.
Keywords
- chemical evolution, evolutionary theory, generalization, metabolic networks, origins of life, protocells, reduction
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Agricultural and Biological Sciences(all)
- Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
- Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology(all)
- Earth and Planetary Sciences(all)
- Space and Planetary Science
- Earth and Planetary Sciences(all)
- Palaeontology
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In: Life, Vol. 14, No. 2, 175, 24.01.2024.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › Research › peer review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Evolution at the Origins of Life?
AU - Schoenmakers, Ludo L.J.
AU - Reydon, Thomas A.C.
AU - Kirschning, Andreas
N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2024 by the authors.
PY - 2024/1/24
Y1 - 2024/1/24
N2 - The role of evolutionary theory at the origin of life is an extensively debated topic. The origin and early development of life is usually separated into a prebiotic phase and a protocellular phase, ultimately leading to the Last Universal Common Ancestor. Most likely, the Last Universal Common Ancestor was subject to Darwinian evolution, but the question remains to what extent Darwinian evolution applies to the prebiotic and protocellular phases. In this review, we reflect on the current status of evolutionary theory in origins of life research by bringing together philosophy of science, evolutionary biology, and empirical research in the origins field. We explore the various ways in which evolutionary theory has been extended beyond biology; we look at how these extensions apply to the prebiotic development of (proto)metabolism; and we investigate how the terminology from evolutionary theory is currently being employed in state-of-the-art origins of life research. In doing so, we identify some of the current obstacles to an evolutionary account of the origins of life, as well as open up new avenues of research.
AB - The role of evolutionary theory at the origin of life is an extensively debated topic. The origin and early development of life is usually separated into a prebiotic phase and a protocellular phase, ultimately leading to the Last Universal Common Ancestor. Most likely, the Last Universal Common Ancestor was subject to Darwinian evolution, but the question remains to what extent Darwinian evolution applies to the prebiotic and protocellular phases. In this review, we reflect on the current status of evolutionary theory in origins of life research by bringing together philosophy of science, evolutionary biology, and empirical research in the origins field. We explore the various ways in which evolutionary theory has been extended beyond biology; we look at how these extensions apply to the prebiotic development of (proto)metabolism; and we investigate how the terminology from evolutionary theory is currently being employed in state-of-the-art origins of life research. In doing so, we identify some of the current obstacles to an evolutionary account of the origins of life, as well as open up new avenues of research.
KW - chemical evolution
KW - evolutionary theory
KW - generalization
KW - metabolic networks
KW - origins of life
KW - protocells
KW - reduction
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85188748313&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3390/life14020175
DO - 10.3390/life14020175
M3 - Review article
AN - SCOPUS:85188748313
VL - 14
JO - Life
JF - Life
IS - 2
M1 - 175
ER -