Title: Inducing Self-Replication and Generating Primitive Vesicles by Fluid Flow – Is Hydrodynamics Relevant to the Origin of Life?

Abstract: Mechanical forces produced by fluid flows may have been instrumental in the origin of Life — (1) driving a primitive form of self-replication through fragmentation and (2) generating compartments for Darwinian evolution. Among the intense sources of hydrodynamic forces encountered in nature are (1) the bursting bubbles produced by ocean waves and (2) raindrop impacts.  In the first part of my talk, I will show the application of DNA nanostructures as fluid-flow sensors for determining hydrodynamic forces in bursting bubbles. These measurements reveal that bursting bubbles generate surprisingly strong forces, sufficient, in principle, to fragment lipid vesicle protocells and other long polymeric molecules residing within or near the disintegrating liquid film. In the second half of the talk, I will present some recent results on the generation of compartments by raindrop impacts on oil-water bilayer. Finally, I will conclude with the future direction of research at the interface of fluid mechanics and the origin of life.