Cycling Physicochemical Gradients as ‘Evolutionary Drivers’: From Complex Matter to Complex Living States

HighlightsO_LIBiological complexity cannot be reduced to chemistry and physics\nC_LIO_LIComplex living states are: multicomponent, multiphase, crowded, and re-emergent\nC_LIO_LILiving states arise naturally only by the action of cycling physicochemical gradients\nC_LIO_LIBacterial cells can be modeled as viscoelastic capacitors with sol-gel transitions\nC_LIO_LIEvolving living states can be investigated via biotic soup experimentation\nC_LIO_LIDarwinian evolution arises from the process errors of the cell cycle\nC_LIO_LISynthetic biology heralds the transition from unintentional Darwinian evolution to intentional anthropic evolution\nC_LI\n\nAbstractWithin the overlap of physics, chemistry a