Patterned Protocell

A characteristic shell-like pattern is observed in a number of protocell preparations where the oil droplet appears to be trapped under a layer of crystalline material which causes this effect. This phenomenon may indicate how the oil in the droplet flows under these very active conditions though a formal explanation has not been established.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Protocell
• self-organization
• bottom-up
• artificial life
• unconventional computing
• Alife
• autonomous agent
• living technology

[TheGrayanat]

This phenomenon is fuelled by the energy that spontaneously arises at the oil/water interface. Oil molecules have one part of the molecule that is water loving attached to hydrocarbon chains that do everything they can to avoid water. Any disturbance in the membrane of the protocell causes disruption of the alignment of the oil molecules and they all shuffle around trying to find the optimum molecular arrangement to minimize the contact between the water and the hydrocarbon chains.

[bakerystudio]

Whats making it move?

[TheGrayanat]

This can be a very vigorous process resulting in movement of the whole oil droplet. In this particular case the oil water interface is made leaky by the presence of surfactant (a kind of soap), which increases the probability of molecular disruption at the oil water interface and makes it hard for the oil molecules to settle.

[TheGrayanat]

It is possible that the patterns that can be seen are evidence of the large scale molecular migration over the surface of the oil droplet in order to realign. This population scale motion is compounded by the production of crystals that are shed as a solid 'skin' from the surface of the droplet and can be seen as a growing tube of material following the actively moving protocell.

[Gormanmod]

what are the ingredients to test it ourselves?