Broodsacs, Plasmodium, and other Pseudo-life

Hello, LinkedIn! This article is a feisty one, grasping at concepts that aren't very well studied by...anyone. But I am not anyone!

So, you read the title and immediately went "What is pseudo-life?" That's a good question. Pseudo-life, by my definitions, is biological matter that treads a continuum between being various random chemicals and a membrane and a functioning organism. Let's take a tour of these things, starting from small and ending up big.

1. Colloids

Colloids are substances or solutions in which the solute takes the form of microscopic particles evenly distributed across the solvent. They can move, maybe replicate if the conditions are right, but not life. The next one might be better ---

2. Rod Micelles

Micelles are small bubbles, or vesicles as the fancy call it, composed of ambivalent lipid molecules. One end is hydrophobic, one end hydrophilic, so they all huddle together like Eskimos huddling for warmth.

So rod micelles are just...micelles. That are shaped like rods. Granted, they're more chemical than life, but there is potential. As long as they can replicate, synthesize proteins, and maintain homeostasis, they work.

3. Coacervates

Coacervates are like the best of both worlds, both worlds being micelles and colloids. They don't have to worry about overcrowding or anything of the sort. Plus, they are confirmed to replicate and can stay around for much longer due to their resistance of Ostwald ripening. They can be used to simulate certain organelles (which are like tiny cells in and of themselves) and even may be used as artificial phagocytes. Clearly a step forward from the group.

4. Membraneous Solutions

Now, I know what you're thinking. Trust me, this is a step ahead. Hear me out:

Membraneous solutions, defined by me, are solutions with constant energy input from ions crashing into atoms. This gives charge which can be used to power cellular machinery. Now, assuming that basic proteins can already be synthesized at this location, these proteins can form short-lived structures, which may, for a time be able to act independently of chemical motions. This is an upgrade from being dragged around by the elements, and shows the first signs of emergence.

5. Viruses

Viruses are the first step noted by many biochemists towards real cells. They have a way of getting around, replicating, and don't really need homeostasis at all. So they qualify, don't they? ... The jury's still out on that one. But there is no denying that a real, non-defective virion (viral particle) is a huge upgrade. No longer do they need to be pushed around by their chemical buddies: they're on a new level now!

6. Protocells

I've talked a lot about protocells and abiogenesis on LinkedIn, so here's a quick recap: Protocells are tiny vesicles with a genome that can do the three things I mentioned as qualities of life before: reproduction, synthesis, and balance.

7. Plasmodium

Plasmodium, as the Apicomplexa go, are pretty complex and are most definitely alive. But here, I'll talk about another kind of plasmodium: The Orthnonectid Kind. Sounds cool, right!? It really isn't. The Orthonectida are parasites of cephalopods and their plasmodium are stages in their life cycle which are shapeless blobs of cells separate from their host by a measly two-layer membrane. Yuck. A year ago, I did a post detailing on how completely new organisms could form within others. So this, if it came from its host, like a tumor or growth, could be ranked as 'pseudo-life'.

8. Broodsacs

And here we are: the highest rank of pseudo-life. It's pretty small, but you have to be if you're barely considered alive. There's a photo of one in the thumbnail of this article. They're an extension of a trematode flatworm known as the green-banded broodsac. So this tiny thing earns the worm their name! Anyways, they are pieces or parts of a larval stage of the worm, the sporocyst. They can pulse, and even disconnect from the sporocyst and writhe around. They are made of cells, which can maintain homeostasis. They can't replicate, but the cells can. And even then the sacs can still brood the next stage of the larvae. So all these characteristics kind of separate it from the actual worm.

It's getting late at the time of writing this and by late I mean 12:25 P.M. So goodbye LinkedIn, see you another time.