The Origin(s) of LUCA - Computer Simulation of a New Theory

Aug 22, 2026

Carl Woese’s cellular-evolution thesis argues that LUCA emerged through “global inventions,” yet many origin(s) explanations focus on largely independent pathways. This study builds on a new theory in which different vesicles and protocells merge, absorb, and exchange components as a mechanism of variation, selection, and retention, driven by wet-and-dry and related cyclical processes. Computer simulations show LUCA can form under diverse conditions, motivating laboratory tests of key hypotheses.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages16

Reading Time40 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

LUCA as a Major Transition

Proposed Mechanism: Vesicle Absorption and Merger

Two Stages in the Evolution from FUCA to LUCA

Simulation Approach and Scope

Article The Origin(s) of LUCA: Computer Simulation of a New Theory † Shiping Tang * and Ming Gao Academic Editors: Kensei Kobayashi, Bruce Damer, Ranajay Saha and Alberto Vázquez-Salazar Received: 5 October 2024 Revised: 12 December 2024 Accepted: 21 December 2024 Published: 10 January 2025 Citation: Tang, S.; Gao, M. The Origin(s) of LUCA: Computer Simulation of a New Theory. Life 2025, 15, 75. [https://doi.org/10.3390/](https://doi.org/10.3390/)[ ](https://doi.org/10.3390/)life15010075 Copyright: © 2025 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license ([https://creativecommons.org/](https://creativecommons.org/)[ ](https://creativecommons.org/)[licenses/by/4.0/](licenses/by/4.0/)) . Center for Complex Decision Analysis, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China; [gaoming@fudan.edu.cn](gaoming@fudan.edu.cn) * Correspondence: [twukong@fudan.edu.cn or](twukong@fudan.edu.cn or) [twukong@yahoo.com](twukong@yahoo.com) † Dedication: To Carl Woese (1928–2012), for his conceptual breakthrough of cellular evolution. Abstract: Carl Woese’s thesis of cellular evolution emphasized that the last universal common/cellular ancestor (LUCA) must have evolved by drawing from “global inventions”. Yet, existing theories regarding the origin(s) of LUCA have mostly centered upon scenarios that LUCA had evolved mostly independently. In an earlier paper, we advanced a new theory regarding the origin(s) of LUCA that extends Woese’s original insights. Our theory centers upon the possibility that different vesicles and protocells can merge with and acquire each other as a form of variation, selection, and retention, driven by wet-and-dry cycles and other similar cyclical processes. In this paper, we use computer simulation to show that under a variety of simulated conditions, LUCA can indeed be produced by our proposed processes. We hope that our study can stimulate laboratory testing of some key hypotheses that vesicles’ absorption, acquisition, and merger has indeed been a central force in driving the evolution of LUCA. Keywords: computer simulation; LUCA; Carl Woese; cellular evolution; global inventions 1. Introduction The coming of the Last Universal Common (Cellular) Ancestor (LUCA) was a major transition in the making of the biotic world [1–4](Although LUCA has been conventionally taken to be the “Last Universal Common Ancestor”, it is now generally accepted that LUCA must have been a fairly complete cell [3,4]) . Recently, Tang advanced a new theory regarding the origin of LUCA [5] . His core thesis is that vesicle absorption, acquisition, and fusion via breaking and repacking, proto-endocytosis, proto-endosymbiosis, and other similar processes, driven by “wet-and-dry” cycles or other similar thermochemical cycles within Darwin’s “warm little pond(s)” [6–9], has been a central mechanism that propelled the origin(s) of the First Universal Cellular Ancestors (FUCAs) and then the evolution of LUCA from FUCAs. Hence, our position critically differs from Prosdocimi and his colleagues [10–12], who also used the abbreviation FUCA for “the First Universal Common Ancestor”. Prosdocimi et al. insist that FUCA is not a cell but an RNA-dependent peptide synthesis machinery or peptidyl transferase center (PTC) . We believe it is more reasonable to assume that FUCAs were already proto-cells (vesicles), with a more or less functional cell membrane [13,14] . Indeed, according to our theory [5], only if FUCA is a proto-cell can LUCA emerge, partly because vesicles are necessary for concentration, crowding, and extensive molecular interaction. Tang further hypothesized that the evolution of LUCA came in two major stages: the evolution of FUCAs, and then evolution of FUCAs to LUCA [5] . What is common to both stages has been that both involve the same process of absorption, acquisition, and merge

FAQs

What does the paper propose as the mechanism for LUCA’s origin?

The theory centers on vesicles and protocells that can merge, absorb, acquire each other’s components, and undergo fusion through processes such as proto-endocytosis and proto-endosymbiosis, driven by wet-and-dry or similar thermochemical cycles.

How do the authors relate FUCA to LUCA in their two-stage framework?

They hypothesize two major stages: first the evolution of FUCAs, then the transformation of FUCAs into LUCA. Both stages rely on absorption, acquisition, and merger by protocells (vesicles).

Why do the authors use computer simulation instead of relying only on chemical evidence?

Chemical and biological evidence can show a hypothesis is possible but not necessarily viable, because recreating LUCA in a laboratory from scratch is highly unlikely. Simulation is used to visualize viability and test whether the proposed processes can produce LUCA.

Aug 22, 2026

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