Why did life emerge?

TL;DR

This paper proposes a thermodynamic framework explaining the emergence of life as driven by the second law of thermodynamics, where energy transduction mechanisms evolve to maximize entropy production, unifying inanimate and animate systems.

Contribution

It introduces a thermodynamic theory of evolution based on entropy increase, linking chemical evolution and life's emergence without distinguishing between inanimate and living matter.

Findings

Energy transduction mechanisms diversify through evolution.

Entropy increase rate acts as a fitness criterion.

Evolutionary processes are driven by thermodynamic principles.

Abstract

Many mechanisms, functions and structures of life have been unraveled. However, the fundamental driving force that propelled chemical evolution and led to life has remained obscure. The 2nd law of thermodynamics, written as an equation of motion, reveals that elemental abiotic matter evolves from the equilibrium via chemical reactions that couple to external energy toward complex biotic non-equilibrium systems. Each time a new mechanism of energy transduction emerges, e.g., by random variation in syntheses, evolution prompts by punctuation and settles to a stasis when the accessed free energy has been consumed. The evolutionary course toward an increasingly larger energy transduction system accumulates a diversity of energy transduction mechanisms, i.e., species. The rate of entropy increase is identified as the fitness criterion among the diverse mechanisms which places the theory of evolution by natural selection on the fundamental thermodynamic principle with no demarcation line between inanimate and animate.