Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Characteristics of Life

Characteristics of Life

Biology is a natural science that studies life and living organisms, including their structure, function, development, interactions, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. The field's scope is extensive and divided into several specialized disciplines, such as anatomy, physiology, ethology, genetics, and many more. All living things share a few key traits, including cellular organization, heritable genetic material and the ability to adapt/evolve, metabolism to regulate energy needs, the...

Synthetic Biology

Synthetic Biology

Synthetic biology is an interdisciplinary science that involves using principles from disciplines such as engineering, molecular biology, cell biology, and systems biology. It involves remodeling existing organisms from nature or constructing completely new synthetic organisms for applications such as protein or enzyme production, bioremediation, value-added macromolecule production, and the addition of desirable traits to crops, to name a few.
Golden rice
Golden rice is a genetically modified...

Non-equilibrium in the Cell

Non-equilibrium in the Cell

An important concept in studying metabolism and energy is that of chemical equilibrium. Most chemical reactions are reversible. They can proceed in both directions, releasing energy into their environment in one direction, and absorbing it from the environment in the other direction. The same is true for the chemical reactions involved in cell metabolism, such as the breaking down and building up of proteins into and from individual amino acids, respectively. Reactants within a closed system...

Mechanistic Models: Compartment Models in Algorithms for Numerical Problem Solving

Mechanistic Models: Compartment Models in Algorithms for Numerical Problem Solving

Mechanistic models play a crucial role in algorithms for numerical problem-solving, particularly in nonlinear mixed effects modeling (NMEM). These models aim to minimize specific objective functions by evaluating various parameter estimates, leading to the development of systematic algorithms. In some cases, linearization techniques approximate the model using linear equations.
In individual population analyses, different algorithms are employed, such as Cauchy's method, which uses a...

Automatic Processing and Automatic Social Behavior

Automatic Processing and Automatic Social Behavior

Automatic processing refers to the cognitive operations that occur without conscious intent or awareness, playing a fundamental role in shaping social cognition and behavior. These processes enable individuals to navigate complex social environments efficiently by relying on mental shortcuts and pre-existing knowledge structures known as schemas. One of the most influential mechanisms underlying automatic processing is priming, which subtly activates mental representations through exposure to...

Origin of Cellular Life

Origin of Cellular Life

The origin of life on Earth is a complex and enigmatic event rooted in ancient biochemical processes and geological conditions. Experimental evidence supports the hypothesis that life began with the spontaneous formation of organic molecules such as RNA nucleotides, amino acids, and lipids under early Earth conditions. Factors like volcanic activity, intense UV radiation, and a reducing atmosphere without free oxygen likely facilitated these reactions. Hydrothermal vents on the ocean floor are...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Medical-legal issues in headache: penal and civil Italian legislation, working claims, social security, off-label prescription.

Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology·2006

Same author

Typogenetics: an artificial genetic system.

Journal of theoretical biology·1993

Same author

Site-directed mutagenesis of the Streptomyces R61 DD-peptidase. Catalytic function of the conserved residues around the active site and a comparison with class-A and class-C beta-lactamases.

European journal of biochemistry·1992

Same author

The importance of the negative charge of beta-lactam compounds in the interactions with active-site serine DD-peptidases and beta-lactamases.

The Biochemical journal·1991

Same author

Structure-activity relationships in the beta-lactam family: an impossible dream.

Biochemical pharmacology·1988

Same author

The importance of the negative charge of beta-lactam compounds for the inactivation of the active-site serine DD-peptidase of Streptomyces R61.

FEBS letters·1987

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 29, 2026

The Modular Design and Production of an Intelligent Robot Based on a Closed-Loop Control Strategy

The Modular Design and Production of an Intelligent Robot Based on a Closed-Loop Control Strategy

Published on: October 14, 2017

Studying artificial life with a molecular automaton

¹Centre for Protein Engineering, Université de Liège, Belgium.

Journal of Theoretical Biology

|August 26, 1998

Summary

Researchers developed "tanglecycles," self-reproducing metabolic systems from molecular automata. These acellular beings exhibit life-like properties such as self-reproduction and selection, offering a new prebiotic perspective on self-organization.

Area of Science:

Artificial biochemistry
Systems chemistry
Origin of life studies

Background:

Previous work proposed a molecular automaton to model the "molecular logic of the living state."
This automaton comprises interacting informants and transformers.

Purpose of the Study:

To demonstrate that tangled molecular hierarchies can form general hypercycles called tanglecycles.
To investigate the properties of these tanglecycles as self-reproducing autocatalytic metabolisms.

Main Methods:

Phenomenological study of tanglecycles derived from molecular automata.
Analysis of information conservation within dynamical loops.

Main Results:

Tanglecycles emerge from tangled molecular hierarchies.

More Related Videos

Curation of Computational Chemical Libraries Demonstrated with Alpha-Amino Acids

Curation of Computational Chemical Libraries Demonstrated with Alpha-Amino Acids

Published on: April 13, 2022

High-Throughput Behavioral Aging and Lifespan Assays Using the Lifespan Machine

High-Throughput Behavioral Aging and Lifespan Assays Using the Lifespan Machine

Published on: January 26, 2024

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 29, 2026

The Modular Design and Production of an Intelligent Robot Based on a Closed-Loop Control Strategy

The Modular Design and Production of an Intelligent Robot Based on a Closed-Loop Control Strategy

Published on: October 14, 2017

Curation of Computational Chemical Libraries Demonstrated with Alpha-Amino Acids

Curation of Computational Chemical Libraries Demonstrated with Alpha-Amino Acids

Published on: April 13, 2022

High-Throughput Behavioral Aging and Lifespan Assays Using the Lifespan Machine

High-Throughput Behavioral Aging and Lifespan Assays Using the Lifespan Machine

Published on: January 26, 2024

These systems function as self-reproducing autocatalytic metabolisms, termed "acellular beings."

Emergent properties include self-reproduction, selection, and chaos.

Conclusions:

Tanglecycles represent a novel form of self-organization with life-like characteristics.
This approach offers a new perspective on the self-organization of matter from a prebiotic viewpoint.
The study contributes to the understanding of autocatalytic networks and the origins of life.