Intriguing 'autocatalytic' reactions appear to be far more common than scientists had thought.
Life requires repetition of chemical reactions. Describing the kinds of reactions and conditions required for self-sustaining repetition — called autocatalysis — could focus the search for life on other planets.
"One of the major reasons that origin-of-life researchers care about autocatalysis is because reproduction — a key feature of life — is an example of autocatalysis," Kaçar said."Life catalyzes the formation of more life. One cell produces two cells, which can become four and so on. As the number of cells multiply, the number and diversity of possible interactions multiplies accordingly.
Ultimately, the researchers discovered 270 different cycles of autocatalytic reactions."Autocatalysis may not be that rare, but instead it might be a general feature of many different environments, even those that are really different from Earth," Kaçar said.
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