Outdoor Self Replication of Cross Tile DNA Origami

Self-replication and exponential growth are properties of all living things and the basis for competition

and evolution. Life is far from thermodynamic equilibrium so one might imagine that life originated

from a non-equilibrium drive. A natural candidate is diurnal temperature and light cycles. We

previously developed a self-replicating system using DNA origami tiles. Our system uses no enzymes,

but instead has UV photo cross linkers, CNV K. molecules on the sticky ends of the tiles to permanently

bind monomers and create dimers. In the lab replication cycles can yield close to a doubling of the

dimers each cycle. Here we report that with our system placed in a box and left outside subject to

variable weather we observe replication rates approximately half as good, a growth rate of 1.6 for

one cycle. Our experiments indicate that a system that shows no growth when left in equilibrium

can be induced to replicate when exposed to a natural diurnal light and temperature cycle.