Identical synthetic droplets can suddenly start 'chasing' or 'running away' from each other like they're alive.
March 24, 2026
Original Paper
Emergent single-species non-reciprocity from bistable chemical dynamics
arXiv · 2603.21863
The Takeaway
Researchers found that simple chemical reactions inside droplets can create a predator-prey dynamic between objects that are physically identical. Because their internal chemistry can flip states, two identical drops can suddenly decide to hunt or flee from one another, showing how complex social-like behavior can emerge from zero intelligence.
From the abstract
The appearance of emergent symmetries in complex systems with components that can form composite units provides us with opportunities for design and control of exotic phase behaviour, for example by exploiting the dynamical symmetry breaking associated with them. We present a novel mechanism for the emergence of non-reciprocal interactions in a single-species suspension of chemically active colloids made out of semi-permeable vesicles, which encapsulate enzymes that catalyze a non-linear chemica