Robust self-replication of combinatorial information via crystal growth and scission

Published on: 2012/04/09

Abstract

What is the simplest chemical self-replicator? Well, that depends on just what you mean by "self-replication". If your interest is ultimately in Darwinian evolution -- and perhaps the origin of life here on Earth or elsewhere -- then an interesting self-replicator must carry combinatorial information that guides its function and can be mutated to explore a vast range of functions. In 1965, Graham Cairns-Smith proposed that crystals -- specifically, polytypic minerals -- may have been the first such chemical self-replicators capable of Darwinian evolution. Here, we experimentally explore the general principles and mechanisms needed for Cairns-Smith's hypothesis, but using DNA tile crystals rather than mineral crystals, and find that they are sound in practice.

Authors

Rebecca Schulman, Bernard Yurke, and Erik Winfree

File

Robust self-replication of combinatorial information via crystal growth and scission.pdf