Darwinian evolution as a dynamical principle: from the origin of life to cancer treatment

Darwinian evolution is biology's powerful process of adaptation and persistence. It is sustained by flows of energy and resources. Thus, Darwinian evolution should be understood using the language of nonequilibrium statistical physics. Taking this perspective, we examine evolution in many different (yet surprisingly related) contexts, from the origin of life to cancer treatment. We find that dynamics beyond the simple maximization of a fitness landscape are crucially important, particularly in cases of evolutionary rescue (e.g. cancer drug resistance). To fully understand these "unorthodox" modes of evolutionary dynamics, we must develop a theory bridging adaptive behaviors and the flows that power them; we propose the first parts of such a theory.