The potential for detecting "life as we don't know it" by fractal complexity analysis

Autores
Azúa Bustos, Armando; Vega Martínez, Cristian Antonio
Año de publicación
2013
Idioma
inglés
Tipo de recurso
artículo
Estado
versión publicada
Descripción
Finding life in the Universe entirely different to the one evolved on Earth is probable. This is a significant constraint for life-detecting instruments that were sent and may be sent elsewhere in the solar system, as how could we detect life as ‘we don't know it’? How could we detect something when we have no prior knowledge of its composition or how it looks like? Here we argue that disregarding the type of lifeform that could be envisioned, all must share in common the attribute of being entities that decrease their internal entropy at the expense of free energy obtained from its surroundings. As entropy quantifies the degree of disorder in a system, any envisioned lifeform must have a higher degree of order than its supporting environment. Here, we show that by using fractal mathematics analysis alone, one can readily quantify the degree of entropy difference (and thus, their structural complexity) of living processes (lichen growths and plant growing patterns in this case) as distinct entities separate from its similar abiotic surroundings. This approach may allow possible detection of unknown forms of life based on nothing more than entropy differentials of complementary datasets. Future explorations in the solar system, like Mars or Titan, may incorporate this concept in their mission planning in order to detect potential endemic lifeforms.
Fil: Azúa Bustos, Armando. Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile; Chile
Fil: Vega Martínez, Cristian Antonio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Astrofísica La Plata. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísicas. Instituto de Astrofísica la Plata; Argentina
Materia
Complexity
Fractal
Life
Nivel de accesibilidad
acceso abierto
Condiciones de uso
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/ar/
Repositorio
CONICET Digital (CONICET)
Institución
Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
OAI Identificador
oai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/26238

id CONICETDig_4941578728dca1bb6095702af5872855
oai_identifier_str oai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/26238
network_acronym_str CONICETDig
repository_id_str 3498
network_name_str CONICET Digital (CONICET)
spelling The potential for detecting "life as we don't know it" by fractal complexity analysisAzúa Bustos, ArmandoVega Martínez, Cristian AntonioComplexityFractalLifehttps://purl.org/becyt/ford/1.3https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1Finding life in the Universe entirely different to the one evolved on Earth is probable. This is a significant constraint for life-detecting instruments that were sent and may be sent elsewhere in the solar system, as how could we detect life as ‘we don't know it’? How could we detect something when we have no prior knowledge of its composition or how it looks like? Here we argue that disregarding the type of lifeform that could be envisioned, all must share in common the attribute of being entities that decrease their internal entropy at the expense of free energy obtained from its surroundings. As entropy quantifies the degree of disorder in a system, any envisioned lifeform must have a higher degree of order than its supporting environment. Here, we show that by using fractal mathematics analysis alone, one can readily quantify the degree of entropy difference (and thus, their structural complexity) of living processes (lichen growths and plant growing patterns in this case) as distinct entities separate from its similar abiotic surroundings. This approach may allow possible detection of unknown forms of life based on nothing more than entropy differentials of complementary datasets. Future explorations in the solar system, like Mars or Titan, may incorporate this concept in their mission planning in order to detect potential endemic lifeforms.Fil: Azúa Bustos, Armando. Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile; ChileFil: Vega Martínez, Cristian Antonio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Astrofísica La Plata. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísicas. Instituto de Astrofísica la Plata; ArgentinaCambridge University Press2013-10info:eu-repo/semantics/articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersionhttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501info:ar-repo/semantics/articuloapplication/pdfapplication/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/11336/26238Azúa Bustos, Armando; Vega Martínez, Cristian Antonio; The potential for detecting "life as we don't know it" by fractal complexity analysis; Cambridge University Press; International Journal Of Astrobiology; 12; 4; 10-2013; 314-3201473-5504CONICET DigitalCONICETenginfo:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/url/https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/international-journal-of-astrobiology/article/potential-for-detecting-life-as-we-dont-know-it-by-fractal-complexity-analysis/81169D2F63946BCA4BB0DE6548597663info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/url/http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2013IJAsB..12..314Ainfo:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1017/S1473550413000177info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccesshttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/ar/reponame:CONICET Digital (CONICET)instname:Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas2025-09-29T09:56:03Zoai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/26238instacron:CONICETInstitucionalhttp://ri.conicet.gov.ar/Organismo científico-tecnológicoNo correspondehttp://ri.conicet.gov.ar/oai/requestdasensio@conicet.gov.ar; lcarlino@conicet.gov.arArgentinaNo correspondeNo correspondeNo correspondeopendoar:34982025-09-29 09:56:03.926CONICET Digital (CONICET) - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicasfalse
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv The potential for detecting "life as we don't know it" by fractal complexity analysis
title The potential for detecting "life as we don't know it" by fractal complexity analysis
spellingShingle The potential for detecting "life as we don't know it" by fractal complexity analysis
Azúa Bustos, Armando
Complexity
Fractal
Life
title_short The potential for detecting "life as we don't know it" by fractal complexity analysis
title_full The potential for detecting "life as we don't know it" by fractal complexity analysis
title_fullStr The potential for detecting "life as we don't know it" by fractal complexity analysis
title_full_unstemmed The potential for detecting "life as we don't know it" by fractal complexity analysis
title_sort The potential for detecting "life as we don't know it" by fractal complexity analysis
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Azúa Bustos, Armando
Vega Martínez, Cristian Antonio
author Azúa Bustos, Armando
author_facet Azúa Bustos, Armando
Vega Martínez, Cristian Antonio
author_role author
author2 Vega Martínez, Cristian Antonio
author2_role author
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv Complexity
Fractal
Life
topic Complexity
Fractal
Life
purl_subject.fl_str_mv https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1.3
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1
dc.description.none.fl_txt_mv Finding life in the Universe entirely different to the one evolved on Earth is probable. This is a significant constraint for life-detecting instruments that were sent and may be sent elsewhere in the solar system, as how could we detect life as ‘we don't know it’? How could we detect something when we have no prior knowledge of its composition or how it looks like? Here we argue that disregarding the type of lifeform that could be envisioned, all must share in common the attribute of being entities that decrease their internal entropy at the expense of free energy obtained from its surroundings. As entropy quantifies the degree of disorder in a system, any envisioned lifeform must have a higher degree of order than its supporting environment. Here, we show that by using fractal mathematics analysis alone, one can readily quantify the degree of entropy difference (and thus, their structural complexity) of living processes (lichen growths and plant growing patterns in this case) as distinct entities separate from its similar abiotic surroundings. This approach may allow possible detection of unknown forms of life based on nothing more than entropy differentials of complementary datasets. Future explorations in the solar system, like Mars or Titan, may incorporate this concept in their mission planning in order to detect potential endemic lifeforms.
Fil: Azúa Bustos, Armando. Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile; Chile
Fil: Vega Martínez, Cristian Antonio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Astrofísica La Plata. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísicas. Instituto de Astrofísica la Plata; Argentina
description Finding life in the Universe entirely different to the one evolved on Earth is probable. This is a significant constraint for life-detecting instruments that were sent and may be sent elsewhere in the solar system, as how could we detect life as ‘we don't know it’? How could we detect something when we have no prior knowledge of its composition or how it looks like? Here we argue that disregarding the type of lifeform that could be envisioned, all must share in common the attribute of being entities that decrease their internal entropy at the expense of free energy obtained from its surroundings. As entropy quantifies the degree of disorder in a system, any envisioned lifeform must have a higher degree of order than its supporting environment. Here, we show that by using fractal mathematics analysis alone, one can readily quantify the degree of entropy difference (and thus, their structural complexity) of living processes (lichen growths and plant growing patterns in this case) as distinct entities separate from its similar abiotic surroundings. This approach may allow possible detection of unknown forms of life based on nothing more than entropy differentials of complementary datasets. Future explorations in the solar system, like Mars or Titan, may incorporate this concept in their mission planning in order to detect potential endemic lifeforms.
publishDate 2013
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2013-10
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501
info:ar-repo/semantics/articulo
format article
status_str publishedVersion
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv http://hdl.handle.net/11336/26238
Azúa Bustos, Armando; Vega Martínez, Cristian Antonio; The potential for detecting "life as we don't know it" by fractal complexity analysis; Cambridge University Press; International Journal Of Astrobiology; 12; 4; 10-2013; 314-320
1473-5504
CONICET Digital
CONICET
url http://hdl.handle.net/11336/26238
identifier_str_mv Azúa Bustos, Armando; Vega Martínez, Cristian Antonio; The potential for detecting "life as we don't know it" by fractal complexity analysis; Cambridge University Press; International Journal Of Astrobiology; 12; 4; 10-2013; 314-320
1473-5504
CONICET Digital
CONICET
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv eng
language eng
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/url/https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/international-journal-of-astrobiology/article/potential-for-detecting-life-as-we-dont-know-it-by-fractal-complexity-analysis/81169D2F63946BCA4BB0DE6548597663
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/url/http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2013IJAsB..12..314A
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1017/S1473550413000177
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/ar/
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
rights_invalid_str_mv https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/ar/
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv application/pdf
application/pdf
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv Cambridge University Press
publisher.none.fl_str_mv Cambridge University Press
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv reponame:CONICET Digital (CONICET)
instname:Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
reponame_str CONICET Digital (CONICET)
collection CONICET Digital (CONICET)
instname_str Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
repository.name.fl_str_mv CONICET Digital (CONICET) - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
repository.mail.fl_str_mv dasensio@conicet.gov.ar; lcarlino@conicet.gov.ar
_version_ 1844613686434463744
score 13.070432