{"id":{"repo_id":"radboud","oai_identifier":"oai:repository.ubn.ru.nl:2066/325221"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/radboud/oai:repository.ubn.ru.nl:2066/325221","repository":{"repo_id":"radboud","name":"Radboud University Nijmegen","base_url":"https://repository.ubn.ru.nl/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Coacervate protocells as reaction centres at the origin of life","abstract":"Contains fulltext : 325221.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Closed access)","abstract_html":"Contains fulltext : 325221.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Closed access)","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Smokers, I.B.A."],"institution":"S.l. : s.n.","degree_name":null,"degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Huck, W.T.S.","Spruijt, E."],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2025,"date_issued":"2025","date_published":"2025","updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:03:24Z","subjects":["Physical Organic Chemistry"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["9789464964783"],"render_values":[{"text":"9789464964783","href":null,"code":true}]}]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://hdl.handle.net/2066/325221","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Huck, W.T.S.","Spruijt, E."]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Smokers, I.B.A."]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date","label":"Dc Date","values":["2025"]},{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["S.l. : s.n."]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Doctoral thesis"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Physical Organic Chemistry"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://hdl.handle.net/2066/325221","9789464964783"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["Contains fulltext : 325221.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Closed access)","How did simple molecules come together on early Earth to form the first life? According to Oparin's “primordial soup” hypothesis, small molecules in lakes on early Earth reacted with each other to form increasingly complex building blocks of life, which eventually accumulated in protein-rich droplets. These coacervates spontaneously concentrate building blocks of life and may have accelerated reactions between them, possibly forming the basis for the first primitive cells. However, there is still no experimental evidence for this theory. In this thesis, I use experimental research to show that coacervate droplets not only accelerate reactions between building blocks of life by spontaneously concentrating molecules and thus increasing the chance that they will react together, but also because the local environment in the coacervates enables reactions that do not occur outside them. I show that this has a positive effect on three essential processes for the origin of life: storage of genetic information, selectivity in reactions and energy management. This makes it considerably more plausible that coacervates played a role in the origin of primitive cells. My findings are also relevant to existing life, as coacervate droplets are still present in cells as membraneless organelles and also influence biochemical processes there.","Radboud University, 25 november 2025","Promotor : Huck, W.T.S. Co-promotor : Spruijt, E.","XIX, 300 p."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Coacervate protocells as reaction centres at the origin of life"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Huck, W.T.S.","Spruijt, E."],"dc:creator":["Smokers, I.B.A."],"dc:date":["2025"],"dc:description":["Contains fulltext : 325221.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Closed access)","How did simple molecules come together on early Earth to form the first life? According to Oparin's “primordial soup” hypothesis, small molecules in lakes on early Earth reacted with each other to form increasingly complex building blocks of life, which eventually accumulated in protein-rich droplets. These coacervates spontaneously concentrate building blocks of life and may have accelerated reactions between them, possibly forming the basis for the first primitive cells. However, there is still no experimental evidence for this theory. In this thesis, I use experimental research to show that coacervate droplets not only accelerate reactions between building blocks of life by spontaneously concentrating molecules and thus increasing the chance that they will react together, but also because the local environment in the coacervates enables reactions that do not occur outside them. I show that this has a positive effect on three essential processes for the origin of life: storage of genetic information, selectivity in reactions and energy management. This makes it considerably more plausible that coacervates played a role in the origin of primitive cells. My findings are also relevant to existing life, as coacervate droplets are still present in cells as membraneless organelles and also influence biochemical processes there.","Radboud University, 25 november 2025","Promotor : Huck, W.T.S. Co-promotor : Spruijt, E.","XIX, 300 p."],"dc:identifier":["https://hdl.handle.net/2066/325221","9789464964783"],"dc:publisher":["S.l. : s.n."],"dc:subject":["Physical Organic Chemistry"],"dc:title":["Coacervate protocells as reaction centres at the origin of life"],"dc:type":["Doctoral thesis"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:03:24Z"}