Low frequency electrical waves in ensembles of proteinoid microspheres

Abstract

Proteinoids (thermal proteins) are produced by heating amino acids to their melting point and initiation of polymerisation to produce polymeric chains. Amino acid-like molecules, or proteinoids, can condense at high temperatures to create aggregation structures called proteinoid microspheres, which have been reported to exhibit strong electrical oscillations. When the amino acids L-glutamic acid (L-Glu) and L-aspartic acid (L-Asp) were combined with electric fields of varying frequencies and intensities, electrical activity resulted. We recorded electrical activity of the proteinoid microspheres’ ensembles via a pair of differential electrodes. This is analogous to extracellular recording in physiology or EEG in neuroscience but at micro-level. We discovered that the ensembles produce spikes of electrical potential, an average duration of each spike is 26 min and average amplitude is 1 mV. The spikes are typically grouped in trains of two spikes. The electrical activity of the ensembles can be tuned by external stimulation because ensembles of proteinoid microspheres can generate and propagate electrical activity when exposed to electric fields.

Low frequency electrical waves in ensembles of proteinoid microspheres

“…The data from Fig. 3 is further supported by our previous research that proteinoids could synchronize electrical activity [25,21].…”

“…Although the level of electrical activity is lower than that of neurons, the similarity in its behaviour is intriguing. Despite this, the results of Figure 3 suggest that the electrical nature of proteinoids may exhibit properties similar to what is observed in biological cells [32,33,21]. The data from Fig.…”

“…Imaging samples that have been gold-coated prior to imaging will produce higher-quality results by minimising the negative impact of charging effects on the images. Proteinoids have been prepared and characterised in a similar fashion to what has been described previously in [26].…”

“…Through this analysis, we aim to understand the behavior of PNBs and evaluate their capability for pattern recognition. Our objective is to review existing literature that explores the relationship between PNBs and ANNs, identify any gaps or limitations in the current understanding, and propose a research methodology to investigate the potential of PNBs in the field of pattern recognition [19,20,21]. Now, let's delve into the examination of the neural networking capabilities of biological neurons.…”

Proteinoid Microspheres as Protoneural Networks

“…This type of electrical activity is reminiscent of that observed in neurons within the nervous system. − Although the level of electrical activity is lower than that of neurons, the similarity in its behavior is intriguing. Despite this, the results of Figure suggest that the electrical nature of proteinoids may exhibit properties similar to what is observed in biological cells. ,, The data from Figure is further supported by our previous research that proteinoids could synchronize electrical activity. , …”