Category: Science

Summary: Testing whether moderate cross-module inhibition can sharpen module-localized autocatalytic organization instead of simply suppressing it.

Autocatalytic networks can organize into modules that reinforce their own growth, but inhibitory links between modules may either disrupt that structure or selectively prune weak bridges. This experiment asks whether an intermediate amount of cross-module inhibition creates a window where a stronger, more localized autocatalytic core appears.

The model builds modular catalytic networks with denser within-module support than between-module support, then sweeps inhibition strength and tracks localization and module dominance. Rather than looking only for total survival or collapse, it asks whether organization becomes cleaner at intermediate inhibition before failing at larger values.

That distinction matters because inhibition is often treated as purely destructive. The experiment tests whether it can also act as a structural filter that sharpens modular autocatalytic behavior.

Method: Repeated modular autocatalytic-network simulations sweeping cross-module inhibition and measuring localization-style order metrics.

What is measured: Localization score, module dominance, persistence of bridge-supported cores, inhibition window location, and support for an interior optimum.