Malaterre, Christophe (2010) Lifeness signatures and the roots of the tree of life. [Preprint]

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Abstract

Do trees of life have roots? What do these roots look like? In this contribution, I argue that research on the origins of life might offer glimpses on the topology of these very roots. More specifically, I argue (1) that the roots of the tree of life go well below the level of the commonly mentioned ‘ancestral organisms’ down into the level of much simpler, minimally living entities that might be referred to as ‘protoliving systems’, and (2) that further below, a system of roots gradually dissolves into non-living matter along several functional dimensions. In between non-living and living matter, one finds physico-chemical systems that I propose to characterize by a ‘lifeness signature’. In turn, this ‘lifeness signature’ might also account for a diverse range of biochemical entities that are found to be ‘less-than-living’ yet ‘more-than-non-living’.

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Item Type:	Preprint
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID Malaterre, Christophe
Additional Information:	Published in: Biology and Philosophy (May 2010) DOI: 10.1007/s10539-010-9220-8
Keywords:	Tree of life, origin of life, definition of life, protoliving systems, protocells, LUCA, lifeness signature
Subjects:	Specific Sciences > Biology
Depositing User:	Christophe Malaterre
Date Deposited:	16 Jun 2010
Last Modified:	07 Oct 2010 15:19
Item ID:	5415
Subjects:	Specific Sciences > Biology
Date:	April 2010
URI:	https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/5415

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