Self-organization in chemistry

Self-organization in chemistry includes: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. molecular self-assembly reaction-diffusion systems and oscillating chemical reactions autocatalytic networks (see: autocatalytic set) liquid crystals colloidal crystals self-assembled monolayers micelles microphase separation of block copolymers Langmuir-Blodgett films

Self-organization in biology
According to Scott Camazine.. [et al.] :

In biological systems self-organization is a process in which pattern at the global level of a system emerges solely from numerous interactions among the lower-level components of the system. Moreover, the rules specifying interactions among the system's components are executed using only local information, without reference to the global pattern.[6]

The following is an incomplete list of the diverse phenomena which have been described as selforganizing in biology. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. spontaneous folding of proteins and other biomacromolecules formation of lipid bilayer membranes homeostasis (the self-maintaining nature of systems from the cell to the whole organism) pattern formation and morphogenesis, or how the living organism develops and grows. See also embryology. the coordination of human movement, e.g. seminal studies of bimanual coordination by Kelso the creation of structures by social animals, such as social insects (bees, ants, termites), and many mammals flocking behaviour (such as the formation of flocks by birds, schools of fish, etc.) the origin of life itself from self-organizing chemical systems, in the theories of hypercycles and autocatalytic networks the organization of Earth's biosphere in a way that is broadly conducive to life (according to the controversial Gaia hypothesis)