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| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Preprint |
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2026
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| Online Access: | https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.11013 |
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| _version_ | 1866908792111759360 |
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| author | Chakraborty, Nayan Thutupalli, Shashi |
| author_facet | Chakraborty, Nayan Thutupalli, Shashi |
| contents | A continuous route from a disordered soup of simple chemical feedstocks to a functional protocell -- a compartment that metabolizes, grows, and propagates -- remains elusive. Here, we show that a homogeneous aqueous chemical mixture containing phosphorus, iron, molybdenum salts and formaldehyde spontaneously self-organizes into compartments that couple robust non-equilibrium chemical dynamics to their own growth. These structures mature to a sustained, dissipative steady state and support an organic synthetic engine, producing diverse molecular species including many core biomolecular classes. Internal spherules that are themselves growth-competent are produced within the protocells, establishing a rudimentary mode of self-perpetuation. The chemical dynamics we observe in controlled laboratory conditions also occur in reaction mixtures exposed to natural day-night cycles. Strikingly, the morphology and chemical composition of the protocells in our experiments closely resemble molybdenum-rich microspheres recently discovered in current oceanic environments. Our work establishes a robust, testable route to de novo protocell formation. The emergence of life-like spatiotemporal organization and chemical dynamics from minimal initial conditions is more facile than previously thought and could be a recurring natural phenomenon. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2601_11013 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | De novo emergence of metabolically active protocells Chakraborty, Nayan Thutupalli, Shashi Soft Condensed Matter Adaptation and Self-Organizing Systems Biological Physics Chemical Physics Biomolecules A continuous route from a disordered soup of simple chemical feedstocks to a functional protocell -- a compartment that metabolizes, grows, and propagates -- remains elusive. Here, we show that a homogeneous aqueous chemical mixture containing phosphorus, iron, molybdenum salts and formaldehyde spontaneously self-organizes into compartments that couple robust non-equilibrium chemical dynamics to their own growth. These structures mature to a sustained, dissipative steady state and support an organic synthetic engine, producing diverse molecular species including many core biomolecular classes. Internal spherules that are themselves growth-competent are produced within the protocells, establishing a rudimentary mode of self-perpetuation. The chemical dynamics we observe in controlled laboratory conditions also occur in reaction mixtures exposed to natural day-night cycles. Strikingly, the morphology and chemical composition of the protocells in our experiments closely resemble molybdenum-rich microspheres recently discovered in current oceanic environments. Our work establishes a robust, testable route to de novo protocell formation. The emergence of life-like spatiotemporal organization and chemical dynamics from minimal initial conditions is more facile than previously thought and could be a recurring natural phenomenon. |
| title | De novo emergence of metabolically active protocells |
| topic | Soft Condensed Matter Adaptation and Self-Organizing Systems Biological Physics Chemical Physics Biomolecules |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.11013 |