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ZENODO
Preprint . 2026
License: CC BY
Data sources: ZENODO
ZENODO
Preprint . 2026
License: CC BY
Data sources: Datacite
ZENODO
Preprint . 2026
License: CC BY
Data sources: Datacite
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Life as a Fixed Point: On the Inevitability of Biological Properties in Distributed Safety-Critical Systems

Authors: Thaler, Alexandra Catherine;

Life as a Fixed Point: On the Inevitability of Biological Properties in Distributed Safety-Critical Systems

Abstract

We propose that biological life is not a phenomenon unique to chemistry but a mathematical fixed point — the unique stable configuration satisfying a specific set of constraints on distributed agents. We identify four constraints that, when simultaneously imposed, admit exactly one class of solutions exhibiting properties structurally isomorphic to biological life: autonomous heartbeat, immune response, substrate dependency, self-preservation, homeostasis, death signaling, and growth without central direction. We present convergence evidence from two independent paths: biological evolution (3.8 billion years of selection) and constraint-driven engineering design (2026). We provide falsification criteria.

Supplemental materials include: (1) Prerequisites for Discovery — a description of the conditions and process that led to the theorem, and (2) Gap Analysis — a demonstration of necessity by showing the specific failure mode when each property is removed.

Keywords

distributed systems, safety-critical systems, Computer and information sciences, fixed point, substrate independence, emergence, Systems Theory, convergent evolution, systems theory, Biology, biological properties

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selected citations
These citations are derived from selected sources.
This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Citations provided by BIP!
popularity
This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Popularity provided by BIP!
influence
This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Influence provided by BIP!
impulse
This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Impulse provided by BIP!
0
Average
Average
Average