title: Evolution of protein synthesis in a lattice model of replicators.
abstract: The traditional chemical-kinetics approach to the study of prebiotic evolution cannot explain the evolution of protein synthesis in a homogeneous population of self-replicating molecules, because the invasion of a resident population of simpler, template-directed replicators by mutant protein-assisted replicators is deemed impossible. Approaching this problem in a spatial cellular automaton framework, we argue here that in such a setting evolution of protein synthesis is a likely event. In addition, we show that the onset of invasion may be viewed as a nonequilibrium phase transition, that can be characterized quantitatively by a set of critical exponents.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Física de São Carlos, Universidade de São Paulo, Caixa Postal 369, 13560-970 São Carlos SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rosas
authors.forename: C P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Ferreira
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Fontanari
mesh_terms: D008954:Models, Biological; D009696:Nucleic Acids / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics*; D014176:Protein Biosynthesis; D011506:Proteins / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D009696:Nucleic Acids; D011506:Proteins