A Test of the Thermodynamics of Evolution

TL;DR

This paper tests a unified thermodynamic framework for evolution through simulations of organisms with mutable genes, providing evidence supporting the theoretical model across evolutionary biology.

Contribution

It introduces simulation-based testing of a thermodynamic framework for evolution, bridging theoretical predictions with computational experiments.

Findings

Simulation results support the thermodynamic framework for evolution

Genes modeled as parameters effectively simulate adaptation

Framework consistency validated through biological evolution simulations

Abstract

Recent research has extended methods from the fields of thermodynamics and statistical mechanics into other disciplines. Most notably, one recent work creates a unified theoretical framework to understand evolutionary biology, machine learning, and thermodynamics. We present simulations of biological evolution used to test this framework. The test simulates organisms whose behavior is determined by specific parameters that play the role of genes. These genes are passed on to new simulated organisms with the capacity to mutate, allowing adaption of the organisms to the environment. With this simulation, we are able to test the the framework in question. The results of our simulation are consistent with the work being tested, providing evidence for it.