A system of two self-replicating molecules can change the oxidation state of their environment in response to light and depending on light intensity. Intense light leads to a high oxidation state which causes an adaptation of the replicator distribution to favor the 3-ring replicator by mutation and selection. A similar adaptation occurs at a lower light intensity, now favoring the competing 6-ring replicator. Credit: Otto Lab, University of Groningen
A chemical system of synthetic replicators shows the first signs of Darwinian evolution: Two different replicators compete for a common building block, and which one wins depends on the environment. As the replicators can also change their environment, ecological-evolutionary dynamics ensue. This finding shows that Darwinian principles extend beyond biology to synthetic systems.
These results, which may be used to develop new catalysts, were published by chemists from the University of Groningen (the Netherlands)