Researchers Find Coacervate Droplets Promote Crucial Redox Reactions

Study shows these natural droplets could have acted as 'proto-enzymes' enabling the formation of more complicated organic molecules on early Earth.

Jan. 30, 2026 at 12:55am

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Researchers at UC Santa Barbara have found that the conditions inside certain, naturally forming droplets called coacervates promote reduction and oxidation (redox) reactions, which are crucial for life. The results support the idea that these droplets could have acted as proto-enzymes, enabling the formation of more complicated organic molecules on early Earth. The findings have important implications for understanding the origin of life and the development of biochemistry.

Why it matters

This research provides new insights into how the unique microenvironment within coacervate droplets could have facilitated the chemical reactions necessary for the emergence of life on Earth. By altering the Gibbs energy and making redox reactions more spontaneous, these droplets may have served as 'proto-enzymes' that enabled the formation of more complex organic molecules.

The details

The researchers used an RNA molecule (polyuridylic acid) and a peptide (poly-L-lysine) to create a stable suspension of coacervate droplets that could mimic an environment on prebiotic Earth. They then measured the voltage across the sample to calculate the Gibbs energy of the reduction of ferricyanide to ferrocyanide, a well-studied redox reaction. They found that the coacervate environment increased the probability of this redox reaction occurring spontaneously, compared to normal water. The team also used Raman spectroscopy to link these electrochemical changes to shifts in the droplet's internal environment, providing molecular-level evidence for their observations.

  • The research project builds upon previous works by UCSB professor Herbert Waite, and a long-standing collaboration with Professors Daniel Morse and Mike Gordon on protein assemblies.
  • The study itself was made possible by a MIRA grant from the National Institutes of Health and an award from UCSB's Stanley and Leslie Parsons Fund in Biochemistry.

The players

Nick Watkins

A former postdoctoral researcher in Professor Lior Sepunaru's lab and co-lead author of the study.

Lior Sepunaru

An associate professor in the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry at UC Santa Barbara and senior author of the study.

Gala Rodriguez

A doctoral student in Sepunaru's group and co-lead author of the study.

Herbert Waite

A professor at UC Santa Barbara whose previous work the current study builds upon.

Daniel Morse

A professor at UC Santa Barbara who has collaborated with the research team on protein assemblies.

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What they’re saying

“We develop a way to see inside biologically important liquid droplets using electrochemistry to learn about how they create a suitable environment for chemical reactions.”

— Nick Watkins, Former postdoctoral researcher

“Inside these droplets, the chemistry is very different from normal water. So, you can make chemical and biochemical reactions that are otherwise impossible in water, which is very important for the origin of life.”

— Lior Sepunaru, Associate professor

What’s next

The researchers plan to further investigate how coacervates influence the speed of redox reactions, as well as study more complicated redox reactions beyond the ferricyanide-ferrocyanide system.

The takeaway

This study provides compelling evidence that the unique microenvironment within naturally occurring coacervate droplets could have played a crucial role in facilitating the chemical reactions necessary for the emergence of life on early Earth, by promoting spontaneous redox processes that are fundamental to biochemistry.