BIO

Eli Vowell is an undergraduate biological sciences major at Florida State University. He is from Tallahassee, Florida. His research interests include evolutionary history, microbial development, and the origin of life. In the future he plans on attending graduate school and eventually becoming a research professor.

Mathematically Modeling Parameters for a Stable RNA World

Abstract

The origin of life is one of the greatest mysteries in the world of science. Understanding how molecules came to achieve a self-sustaining state has many layers. Many different parts of RNA synthesis will need to be understood to create a comprehensive model of abiogenesis. We will use a reaction diffusion model to simulate the rates of combination and rates of disintegration as a function of RNA length. Using this model, we can track the survivability of RNA stands at different rates of combination and disintegration to find the necessary parameters for a stable RNA world. We seek to build on previous literature and add to previous models to create a more cohesive model for the early evolution of life. We hope that our model will aid in furthering the understanding of abiogenesis and allow for new insight into the mathematics behind the theory.

Keywords: Origin, Life, RNA-World, Reaction-Diffusion