Understanding the chemical principles underpinning the fundamental features of life beyond biochemistry within the origins of life context

Investigating prebiotic chemistry and the fundamental features of life like metabolism, information, self-reproduction, natural selection and computation, is significant within the origins of life research. In this context, one of the key elements constitutes the synthesis of chemistry-based natural-life-mimicking artificial or synthetic living systems, starting from a homogeneous aqueous blend of a few strictly non-biochemical compounds, using a technique called polymerization-induced self-assembly (PISA). In one of the studies, gradient sequence-controlled polymers were generated through PET-RAFT-PISA (photoinduced electron/energy transfer-reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer-polymerization-induced self-assembly) method. In addition, the initial concentration ratio of the monomers in the gradient was varied as an input for a set of fixed experimental parameters and conditions, and its correlation with kinetics, gradient and self-assembled morphologies was established, as the output of the process. In another study, chemical roots of functionalization were explored through two-stage Phoenix dynamics, which was linked to degradation of the macro-RAFT agent. The first stage involves a morphological transition from the micelles to vesicles while the second stage involves active growth-implosion cycles accompanied by population growth. Two other investigations involved coupling of the non-linear oscillatory Belousov–Zhabotinsky (BZ) reaction with PISA as well as natural selection in non-biochemical systems analogous to Darwin’s Finches. These results have implications towards nanotechnology, biomedical science, programmable self-assembly, chemical computation, biomimetics and astrobiology.

Dr. Kumar Siddharth is a post-doctoral research associate in the Department of Human Centered Design.