Hypothesis of the Fractal Continuity of Life: Toward an Operational Principle of Relativity of Life

Description This record presents a theoretical and operational research framework addressing one of the central open questions in contemporary science: what is life? Rather than treating life as an absolute and binary property, this work proposes a Principle of Relativity of Life, according to which life is a scale-dependent and observer-dependent phenomenon. Building on concepts from biology, prebiotic chemistry, mineralogy, complexity science, and cosmology, the framework introduces a graded notion of “life-like” organization based on measurable organizational invariants. The hypothesis of a fractal continuity of life suggests that similar organizational principles—such as flux, memory, self-amplification, organizational closure, and robustness—may manifest across multiple levels of organization, from chemical and mineral systems to biological organisms and large-scale cosmic structures. To ensure scientific rigor, the work is structured according to the Dual Engine IA Framework 3.0 (ESA–NASA–EIIS Edition) and includes: operational definitions, a graded quantitative score (life-like index), a multi-scale and multi-domain methodology, a verification and validation (V&V) strategy, explicit uncertainty management, and clear falsifiability criteria. This record is intended as a Zenodo-ready research object (ZR²) and as a foundation for further experimental, computational, and philosophical investigations in astrobiology and the foundations of life sciences.