Locus and mechanisms of information processing in living organisms

Ascertain the anatomical and biophysical loci and mechanisms by which information is processed within living organisms, in contrast to cellular automata where states are explicitly defined, to clarify how insights from cellular-automata-based models relate to real biological systems.

Background

The paper contrasts properties of cellular automata with those of real biological systems when discussing the broader implications of their results for biology. While cellular automata provide well-defined states and discretized dynamics, biological organisms do not obviously specify where and how information is represented and processed.

The authors explicitly note this uncertainty as a limitation when attempting to transfer insights from artificial systems like Lenia to real organisms, identifying the need to determine the actual loci and mechanisms of information processing in living systems.

References

However, they remain abstract models: entities in the CA exist on a predefined grid topology whereas physical entities have continuous position and speed ; states in the CA are well-defined whereas it is not clear where and how information is processed in living organisms; rules in the CA operate at a predetermined scale whereas real-world processes operate at nested and interconnected scales.

— Discovering Sensorimotor Agency in Cellular Automata using Diversity Search  (2402.10236 - Hamon et al., 2024) in Discussion (limitations and transfer to biology)

Which nodes and interactions in biological gene-regulatory, physiological, and bioelectric networks provide equivalent control handles therefore remains an open question.

— On Growth and Form, and Function: Reusable Regulatory Handles Control Phenotypic Variation  (2609.29755 - Hartl et al., 24 Sep 2026) in Discussion