Gordon-Smith, Chris. “SimSoup: An artificial chemistry model for investigation of the evolution of metabolic networks.” In Workshop CD, V IIIth Conference on Artificial Life, and http://www. simsoup. info/Publications. html . 2005.
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The mechanism for evolution in the first lifeforms is a key question that must be addressed by any explanation of the Origin of Life. The SimSoup artificial chemistry model is described, and it is shown how catalytic reactions can be represented as ‘compound interactions’. A possible mechanism for inheritance in metabolic networks is outlined using graphical notation developed for SimSoup. Preliminary results from computer simulations are presented; it is demonstrated that a SimSoup network has multiple persistent states and that transitions between these states can occur as a result of perturbations or random fluctuations. It is argued that this may have relevance to understanding the mechanism of evolution in early lifeforms.