autocatalytic Archives

Extinction rates for each combination of D and disturbance frequency. At lower disturbance frequencies, extinction is rare, but becomes more likely as the disturbance frequency increases. In cases where extinction occurs, the cooperatively dispersing cycle is much less likely to go extinct, except when D = 1. -- biorxiv.org

Selection For Propagule Formation In Prebiotic Chemical Ecosystems

by Keith CowingSeptember 18, 2026September 21, 2026

[biorxiv.org] Biological individuals on Earth today are cellular, but the simplest cells are too complex to have arisen spontaneously.

Geometry-dependent collective stereochemical organization under varying compatibility and fluctuation conditions.

Astrochemistry, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report

Spatial Confinement And Boundary Constraints Governing Biological Chirality: A Simulation Study

by Keith CowingJune 2, 2026June 2, 2026

Biological systems exhibit marked molecular asymmetry, with proteins based predominantly on L-amino acids and nucleic acids and carbohydrates largely composed of D-sugars.

The autocatalytic reaction network. Top: the full network of reactions that were characterized in the autocatalytic P1 Flexizyme assembly network. The assembled, chimeric P1 5 ribozyme is represented in cyan. The arrow thickness corresponds roughly to the relative reaction rates. -- biorxiv.org

Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Status Report

Autocatalytic Assembly Of A Chimeric Aminoacyl-RNA Synthetase Ribozyme

by Keith CowingNovember 8, 2024September 18, 2025

Autocatalytic reactions driving the self-assembly of biological polymers are important for the origin of life, yet few experimental examples of such reactions exist.