autopoiesis
Dissipative system – a thermodynamically open system which is operating out of, and often far from, thermodynamic equilibrium in an environment with which it exchanges energy and matter
Dynamical system – Mathematical model which describes the time dependence of a point in a geometrical space
Information metabolism – psychological theory of interaction between biological organisms and their environment
Noogenesis – Emergence and evolution of intelligence
Self-replication – any behavior of a dynamical system that yields construction of an identical or similar copy of itself
Self-replicating machine – a type of autonomous robot that is capable of reproducing itself autonomously using raw materials found in the environment