On emergence of spontaneous oscillations in kombucha and proteinoids

Mougkogiannis, Panagiotis; Nikolaidou, Anna; Adamatzky, Andrew

Abstract

An important part of studying living systems is figuring out the complicated steps that lead to order from chaos. Spontaneous oscillations are a key part of self-organisation in many biological and chemical networks, including kombucha and proteinoids. This study examines the spontaneous oscillations in kombucha and proteinoids, specifically exploring their potential connection to the origin of life. As a community of bacteria and yeast work together, kombucha shows remarkable spontaneous oscillations in its biochemical parts. This system can keep a dynamic balance and organise itself thanks to metabolic processes and complex chemical reactions. Similarly, proteinoids, which may have been primitive forms of proteins, undergo spontaneous fluctuations in their structure and function periodically. Because these oscillations happen on their own, they may play a very important part in the development of early life forms. This paper highlights the fundamental principles governing the transition from chaos to order in living systems by examining the key factors that influence the frequency and characteristics of spontaneous oscillations in kombucha and proteinoids. Looking into these rhythms not only helps us understand where life came from but also shows us ways to make self-organising networks in synthetic biology and biotechnology. There is significant discussion over the emergence of biological order from chemical disorder. This article contributes to the ongoing discussion by examining at the theoretical basis, experimental proof, and implications of spontaneous oscillations. The results make it clear that random oscillations are an important part of the change from nonliving to living matter. They also give us important information about what life is all about.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Oct 2, 2024
• Online Publication Date: Dec 5, 2024
• Publication Date: 2025-03
• Deposit Date: Dec 5, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Dec 6, 2024
• Journal: BioNanoScience
• Print ISSN: 2191-1630
• Electronic ISSN: 2191-1649
• Publisher: Springer (part of Springer Nature)
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 15
• Issue: 1
• Article Number: 65
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12668-024-01678-5
• Keywords: Kombucha, Spontaneous oscillations, Chaos, Proteinoids, Self-organisation, Origin of life
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/13508225
• Additional Information: Accepted: 2 October 2024; First Online: 5 December 2024; : ; : The authors declare no competing interests.