Auto replication
Autoreplication ( Gr. Αυτο- , auto- 'self' and Latin replicare 'reply') describes the ability of a system to make a copy of itself with a decisive amount of external help.
The self-replication , however refers to a fully autonomous reproduction without outside help, although energy and materials always come from outside, because it - u. a. according to the law of conservation of energy - there can be no reproduction out of nothing.
example 1
If a blacksmith uses a forge hammer, that is, provides outside help, the existing hammer can produce another forge hammer. This is impossible without the blacksmith. The blacksmith's hammer is therefore an auto-replicative system, with the blacksmith representing the decisive outside help.
Outside help can take various forms. In the example above, the blacksmith provided almost all of the components required to make a forge's hammer: the construction plans (from his memory), the energy (the fire of the forge ), the material (iron or steel) and the drive (muscle work). Auto-replicative systems are currently the preferred model for molecular manufacturing systems because there is no risk of an accident in which the system reproduces in an uncontrollable manner (also known as run-away accident or gray smear ).
Example 2
A virus is an auto-replicative system. It can only reproduce with the help of a living cell , since it only contains the information ( DNA ) necessary for its replication . The energy, raw materials and various molecular tools ( enzymes ) must be obtained from the host cell.