Entries for the “Chemicals to Code” Technology Prize

Submissions Received for the Evolution 2.0 Prize

The Evolution 2.0 Prize is a technology prize for discovery of a naturally occurring code. How do you get from chemicals to code without designing codes, or borrowing components from existing cells?

If Origin of Life is a valid science, this should be answerable. Natural Code LLC seeks a principle of natural self-organization that makes this possible.natural_code_llc_logo_sm

DNA transcription-translation (DNA -> Messenger RNA -> Amino Acids) is mathematically equivalent to Claude Shannon’s 1948 Encoder – Message – Decoder system (Yockey, 2005).

Because origin of information and the genetic code are central to the origin of life problem… and because the genesis of new information is central to the evolution problem, we are offering a multi-million dollar prize for the discovery and patent of “chemicals to code.”

Natural Code LLC will fund the patent process and then award the full prize amount once the patent is granted. We will furnish a $100,000 “trigger event” prize upon initial discovery of such a process, before our patent process begins in earnest.

This $100,000 prize will be granted to the first person to discover this process, independently of our ability to secure a patent.

Numerous people who have sent in submissions have generously granted permission to publish them. We are grateful for this as it sheds much light on the thinking process and clarifies what Natural Code LLC is searching for. Below, we have included our response to each applicant.

The specification for the prize is online at www.naturalcode.org.


October 21, 2020 – We received this submission from Dmitry Kukuruznyak, a physicist and coordinator of the Animate Condensed Matter project. Dr. Kukuruznyak graduated in Physics from St. Petersburg State University, holds a Master’s degree in Physics from the University of Miami and a PhD in Materials Science from the University of Washington. Dr. Kukuruznyak granted us permission to publish his entry:

Dmitry Kukuruznyak Preamble & Submission

Response from Natural Code LLC


November 21, 2018 – We received this submission from Stephanus Petrus Viljoen from The Pattern Foundation in Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa

Stephanus Petrus Viljoen Submission

Response from Natural Code LLC


November 28, 2016 – We received this submission from Cameron Bosinski in New York (BS Biology and Psychology, MS in Neuroscience)

Cameron Bosinski Submission

Response from Natural Code LLC


November 21, 2016 – We received this submission from Chris Linhart, a Computer Science specialist and programmer in Salzburg, Austria. His background includes work in computational linguistics and artificial intelligence.

Christian Linhart Submission

Response from Natural Code LLC


August 7, 2015 & November 23, 2015 – We received this submission from William Sikkema, a graduate student in Biotechnology at Rice University in Houston Texas. He has co-authored numerous papers and is studying under organic chemist James Tour. Mr. Sikkema granted us permission to publish his entry:

William Sikkema Submission

Response from Natural Code LLC

William Sikkema Submission #2 – very clever.

Response from Natural Code LLC to William Sikkema Submission #2.


Natural Code LLC is a Private Equity Investment group formed to identify a naturally occurring code. Our mission is to discover, develop and commercialize core principles of nature which give rise to information, consciousness and intelligence.