@article{21753,
  abstract     = {The origin(s) of life (OoL), which has puzzled scientists for centuries, remains a major scientific challenge in the 21st century. Understanding the processes relevant to the OoL demands theoretical frameworks that can connect processes across scales, from microscopic dynamics to emergent levels of organization. While experimental studies generate a wealth of data, theoretical and computational approaches provide the structure necessary to interpret and generalize these findings. In Part 1, we examined the most widely used experimental techniques in the field. Here, we focus on the mathematical, physical, and computational techniques used to model phenomena relevant to life’s origin(s). We discuss methods ranging from quantum chemistry and molecular dynamics to chemical reaction networks, autocatalysis, and evolutionary modeling, as well as information-theoretic and phylogenetic approaches that link chemical and biological organization. We further highlight emerging trends such as synthetic biology, omics-based methods, and laboratory automation as novel points of contact for theory-experiment integration. Ultimately, we aim to provide an educational tool that can facilitate more post-disciplinary collaborations in OoL research by helping scientists understand what they can do about the problem of life’s origins, rather than telling them how to think about it.},
  author       = {Asche, Silke and Bautista, Carla and Blanco, Celia and Boulesteix, David and Champagne-Ruel, Alexandre and Mathis, Cole and Markovitch, Omer and Peng, Zhen and Dass, Avinash Vicholous and Adams, Alyssa and Camprubi, Eloi and Colizzi, Enrico Sandro and Colón-Santos, Stephanie and Dromiack, Hannah and Erastova, Valentina and Garcia, Amanda and Grimaud, Ghjuvan and Halpern, Aaron and Harrison, Stuart A. and Jordan, Seán F. and Jia, Tony Z. and Kahana, Amit and Kolchinsky, Artemy and Moron-Garcia, Odin and Mizuuchi, Ryo and Nan, Jingbo and Orlova, Yuliia and Pearce, Ben K.D. and Paschek, Klaus and Preiner, Martina and Pinna, Silvana and Rodríguez-Román, Eduardo and Schwander, Loraine and Sharma, Siddhant and Smith, Harrison B. and Vieira, Andrey and Xavier, Joana C.},
  issn         = {2666-3864},
  journal      = {Cell Reports Physical Science},
  number       = {4},
  publisher    = {Elsevier},
  title        = {{What it takes to solve the origins of life: An integrated review. Part 2: Theoretical methods and emerging trends}},
  doi          = {10.1016/j.xcrp.2026.103211},
  volume       = {7},
  year         = {2026},
}