Chapter 2 : Insights from Simulated Evolution

Abstract:

All biological systems, including viruses, are essentially systems that store, copy, and express information. This chapter presents some of the insights of simulated evolution and attempts to evaluate the relevance of the simulations to extant biological systems and processes that we can now observe. The study of chemical replicators, attempts to create models of catalysis from which prebiotic characteristics can be determined. The parasites of parasitic replicators would correspond to the defective viruses that are observed for most types of viruses. Defective viruses are thus exactly the parasitic replicators of a functional virus, itself a parasitic replicator. These parasites of parasites are expected to have existed even under prebiotic conditions. In addition, computer-based modeling of replicator evolution also suggests a role for the parasitic replicators as well as the parasites of parasites. The temporal component for persistent virus selection may be even more extended than for lambda. Clearly, models must first develop more formal ways to define the issues of persistence before they can provide useful insights into the successful life strategies of a persistent virus.