License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license (CC BY 4.0)
When quoting this document, please refer to the following
DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.DNA.27.3
URN: urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-146707
URL: http://dagstuhl.sunsite.rwth-aachen.de/volltexte/2021/14670/
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Alseth, Andrew ; Hader, Daniel ; Patitz, Matthew J.

Self-Replication via Tile Self-Assembly (Extended Abstract)

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LIPIcs-DNA-27-3.pdf (4 MB)

Abstract

In this paper we present a model containing modifications to the Signal-passing Tile Assembly Model (STAM), a tile-based self-assembly model whose tiles are capable of activating and deactivating glues based on the binding of other glues. These modifications consist of an extension to 3D, the ability of tiles to form "flexible" bonds that allow bound tiles to rotate relative to each other, and allowing tiles of multiple shapes within the same system. We call this new model the STAM*, and we present a series of constructions within it that are capable of self-replicating behavior. Namely, the input seed assemblies to our STAM* systems can encode either "genomes" specifying the instructions for building a target shape, or can be copies of the target shape with instructions built in. A universal tile set exists for any target shape (at scale factor 2), and from a genome assembly creates infinite copies of the genome as well as the target shape. An input target structure, on the other hand, can be "deconstructed" by the universal tile set to form a genome encoding it, which will then replicate and also initiate the growth of copies of assemblies of the target shape. Since the lengths of the genomes for these constructions are proportional to the number of points in the target shape, we also present a replicator which utilizes hierarchical self-assembly to greatly reduce the size of the genomes required. The main goals of this work are to examine minimal requirements of self-assembling systems capable of self-replicating behavior, with the aim of better understanding self-replication in nature as well as understanding the complexity of mimicking it.

BibTeX - Entry

@InProceedings{alseth_et_al:LIPIcs.DNA.27.3,
  author =	{Alseth, Andrew and Hader, Daniel and Patitz, Matthew J.},
  title =	{{Self-Replication via Tile Self-Assembly (Extended Abstract)}},
  booktitle =	{27th International Conference on DNA Computing and Molecular Programming (DNA 27)},
  pages =	{3:1--3:22},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-205-1},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2021},
  volume =	{205},
  editor =	{Lakin, Matthew R. and \v{S}ulc, Petr},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/opus/volltexte/2021/14670},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-146707},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.DNA.27.3},
  annote =	{Keywords: Algorithmic self-assembly, tile assembly model, self-replication}
}

Keywords: Algorithmic self-assembly, tile assembly model, self-replication
Collection: 27th International Conference on DNA Computing and Molecular Programming (DNA 27)
Issue Date: 2021
Date of publication: 08.09.2021

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