In science, Tibor Ganti (1933-2009) was a Hungarian chemical engineer turned theoretical biologist noted for 1966 to 2003 efforts to formulate some type of minimal chemical definition of life.

Overview
In 1971, Ganti published his Principles of Life; the following being a 2003 abstract of this:

“Gánti offers a radically novel approach to the problem of the origin of life: based on his theory of fluid (chemical) automata he proves that all living systems are basically program controlled self-reproducing fluid automata and that such automata behave as living systems. The simplest such construction—the chemoton—behaves as living, and all living systems have chemoton type organization. This means that the chemoton model is the minimum model of life. Gánti's chemical perspective captures the fundamentally cyclic organization of the living state.”

In 1974, Ganti introduced, and or elaborated further, on his his “chemoton theory”. [1]

This, to note, seems to have similarity to Stuart Kauffman's auto-catalytic thermodynamic work cycle theory of the origin of life and how the first living thing "catches fire", as Kauffman says, both of which are shown below, respectively:

On the left, a diagram (Ѻ) of Ganti's 1974 "chemoton" model of a minimum unit of life, which can be compared to Stuart Kauffman's 1995 autocatalytic set model (Ѻ), shown right, of the origin of life; both of which are end-over-unit (perpetual motion) theories, hypothesized to have occurred at the chemical level 3.8 billion years ago, categorized as perpetual motion of the living kind theories (see: defunct theory of life).

Ganti’s theory seems to be a chemical spin-off of Rene Descartes’ animal organisms as automata theory (see: Cartesian automaton), albeit via Ganti’s so-called “soft automata” principles. [3]

Bauer principle
Ganti, in his 2003 Chemoton Theory: Theory of Living Systems, Volume 2, gives one of the first-known English presentation of the Bauer principle—or “principle of constant non-equilibrium” of living systems—of Hungarian-born Russian pathologist and physical biologist Erwin Bauer. [2]

Left: a painting of Ganti shown in front of a physical model of his chemoton and behind a copy of his Chemoton Theory. Right: a circa 2002 photo of Ganti in Hungary, in his home, in discussion with someone named Manribubia. (Ѻ)


Left: a painting of Ganti shown in front of a physical model of his chemoton and behind a copy of his Chemoton Theory. Right: a circa 2002 photo of Ganti in Hungary, in his home, in discussion with someone named Manribubia. (Ѻ)

References
1. Eors, Szathmary. (2009). “Gant Tibor, 1933-2009” (Hungarian → English), Magyar Tudomany, The Hungarian Academy of Sciences Journal.
2. Ganti, Tibor. (2003) Chemoton Theory: Theory of Living Systems, Volume 2 (§: Ervin Bauer, pgs. 261-64). Springer.
3. Ganti, Tibor. (2003). The Principles of Life (Descartes, pg. 120). Oxford University Press.

Further reading
● Ganti, Tibor. (1966). Forradalom az élet kutatásában (Revolution in the study of life). Gondolat, Budapest.
● Ganti, Tibor. (1971). Az élet princípiuma (Principle of Life). Gondolat, Budapest.
● Ganti, Tibor. (1974). "A chemoton–elmélet alapjai" ("The chemoton Theory Basics"). Fizikai Szemle (Physical Review).
● Ganti, Tibor. (1979). A Theory of Biochemical Supersystems and Its Application to Problems of Natural and Artificial Biogenesis. Akadémiai, Budapest; University Park Press, Baltimore.
● Ganti, Tibor. (1984). Chemotonelmélet I. A fluid automaták elméleti alapjai (I Chemotonelmélet The theoretical basics of fluid machines). OMIKK, Budapest
● Ganti, Tibor. (1987). The Principle of Life. OMIKK, Budapest.
● Ganti, Tibor. (1989). Chemotonelmélet II. Az élő rendszerek elmélete (Chemotonelmélet II. The theory of living systems). OMIKK, Budapest.
● Ganti, Tibor. (2003). Chemoton Theory. Vol. I. Theory of Fluid Machineries. Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers, New York.
● Ganti, Tibor. (2003). Chemoton Theory. Vol. II. Theory of Living Systems. Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers, New York.

External links
● Tibor Ganti – Wikipedia.
● Chemoton – Wikipedia.


On the left, a diagram (Ѻ) of Ganti's 1974 "chemoton" model of a minimum unit of life, which can be compared to Stuart Kauffman's 1995 autocatalytic set model (Ѻ), shown right, of the origin of life; both of which are end-over-unit (perpetual motion) theories, hypothesized to have occurred at the chemical level 3.8 billion years ago, categorized as perpetual motion of the living kind theories (see: defunct theory of life).