Figure 7.

Possible evolutionary scenario for the optimization and increase in complexity of the cellular operating system (COS) through top-down causation by information control and adaptive selection. This leads to the foundational ‘modern’ core of information pathways belonging to the last universal common ancestor (LUCA) of all living organisms on the Earth. While this scenario delineates clear transition steps, some of the optimization steps could overlap in time. The major emergence of the first autonomous living cells corresponds to the emergence of the regulatory network linking RNA replication with cellular reproduction. See also legend of figure 2.