Life is an epiphenomenon for which origins are of tremendous interest to explain. We provide a framework for doing so based on the thermodynamic concept of work cycles. These cycles can create their own closure events, and thereby provide a mechanism for engendering novelty. We note that three significant such events led to life as we know it on Earth: (1) the advent of collective autocatalytic sets (CASs) of small molecules; (2) the advent of CASs of reproducing informational polymers; and (3) the advent of CASs of polymerase replicases. Each step could occur only when the boundary conditions of the system fostered constraints that fundamentally changed the phase space. With the realization that these successive events are required for innovative forms of life, we may now be able to focus more clearly on the question of life's abundance in the universe.

中文翻译：

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约束闭合推动了生命起源的重大转变


生命是一种附带现象，解释它的起源非常有趣。我们提供了一个基于工作循环的热力学概念的框架。这些循环可以创建自己的关闭事件，从而提供一种产生新颖性的机制。我们注意到，三个重要的此类事件导致了我们所知道的地球上的生命：（1）小分子集体自催化组（CAS）的出现； (2)复制信息聚合物CAS的出现； (3) 聚合酶复制酶 CAS 的出现。只有当系统的边界条件产生从根本上改变相空间的约束时，每个步骤才会发生。认识到这些连续的事件是创新生命形式所必需的，我们现在也许能够更清楚地关注宇宙中生命丰富的问题​​。