Published In
Life
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
8-25-2017
Subjects
Life -- Origin, Genetics--Research
Abstract
The information contained in life exists in two forms, analog and digital. Analog information is manifest mainly in the differing concentrations of chemicals that get passed from generation to generation and can vary from cell to cell. Digital information is encoded in linear polymers such as DNA and RNA, whose side chains come in discrete chemical forms. Here, we argue that the analog form of information preceded the digital. Acceptance of this dichotomy, and this progression, can help direct future studies on how life originated and initially complexified on the primordial Earth, as well as expected trajectories for other, independent origins of complex life.
DOI
10.3390/life7030034
Persistent Identifier
http://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/21542
Citation Details
Baum, D. A., & Lehman, N. (2017). Life’s Late Digital Revolution and Why It Matters for the Study of the Origins of Life. Life, 7(3), 34.
Description
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution Licensewhich permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. (CC BY 4.0).