Three billion years in the making ...

The Game Theory of Life

Aubrey Jaffer

Abstract

If we define a game for an infinite variety of molecules as players with a wide variety of interactions between them such that a subset of those molecules are able to spontaneously polymerize and replicate (among other conditions), mathematical reasoning finds that viroid species will arise and compete; that those species will incorporate non-genetic molecules, develop protective structures made of non-genetic material, and develop machinery to synthesize non-genetic material from genetic instructions.

The Game Theory of Life proposes that once these (reproducing) organisms can synthesize non-genetic molecules which can modify genetic material, they qualify as Von Neumann universal constructors. The theory also proposes this attribute as the definition of life.

The Game Theory of Cellular Life

Copyright © 2003, 2005, 2007 Aubrey Jaffer

I am a guest and not a member of the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory.  My actions and comments do not reflect in any way on MIT.
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