Statistical Thermodynamic Foundation for the Origin and Evolution of Life

TL;DR

This paper develops a thermodynamic framework for understanding the origin and evolution of life, using Markov chains and path entropy to analyze nano-biological systems and their entropy production.

Contribution

It introduces a new probabilistic formula for the most probable paths in nano-biological systems and links thermodynamics with biological evolution.

Findings

Derived a new formula for the probability of the most probable path.

Linked path entropy generation to entropy production rate.

Provided insights into the thermodynamic basis of life's origin and evolution.

Abstract

In this paper we review and extend our earlier recent work on thermostated systems. A description of nano-biological systems by Markov chains in coordinate space in the strongly overdamped limit is presented. Characterization of the most probable path is given and a new formula for the probability of this special path is provided from recursion formulae. The deterministic limit is derived and the significance of Lagrange multipliers introduced when constructing the most probable path is elucidated. The characterization of the generation of path entropy by the most probable path is given an equivalent interpretation relating to the rate of entropy production by the most probable path. The paper concludes with an account of the biological implications. Here we address why the origin of life and its subsequent evolution took place, not the particular chemical details of how it happened.