Traditional models of both abiogenesis and oncogenesis rely heavily on informational determination mediated by nucleic acids (DNA/RNA). This paper proposes a new paradigm—Non-Equilibrium Dissipative Colloid Physics—defining the third phase of material evolution on early Earth. We hypothesize that the interaction between complex inorganic chemistry and organic amphiphiles generated hybrid colloidal systems in states of extreme thermodynamic non-equilibrium. Driven exclusively by phase boundaries, surface tension, and osmotic gradients, these systems exhibited autonomous behaviors (pulsation, division, mechanical cannibalism) completely independent of a genetic code. Furthermore, this study demonstrates that when a modern cell experiences a critical bioenergetical deficit and loses genetic regulation (e.g., via p53 inactivation), it does not collapse into random chaos in the bifurcation point. Instead, it transitions into these ancient, physically more stable colloidal attractors.
Peter Mikuláš (Tue,) studied this question.