View source for (M,R)-systems

An '''(M,R)-system''' is a formal model of a living system developed by theoretical biologist [[Robert Rosen]]. The name stands for '''metabolism-repair''': the system is organized as a network of processes that produce its own components (metabolism) and a network of processes that produce the metabolic processes themselves (repair). The result is a closed loop of self-production that Rosen proved cannot be reduced to a finite [[algorithm]].

The (M,R)-system is one of the most rigorous mathematical attempts to capture the organizational property that distinguishes living systems from non-living mechanisms. It anticipates and formalizes many of the insights later developed in [[Autopoiesis|autopoiesis]] theory, though Rosen's approach is more explicitly concerned with the functional organization of metabolism rather than the spatial boundary of the cell.

Rosen proved that any (M,R)-system must contain at least one component that is not produced by any process in the system — a ''non-repairable repair'' — which he identified with the system's genetic material. This result connects (M,R)-systems to the origin of life problem: the first living system must have achieved [[Metabolic Closure|metabolic closure]] before it achieved complete [[Repair Closure|repair closure]].

[[Category:Systems]]
[[Category:Biology]]