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Glite Dictionary
➰ A special curve 🔄 A reaction system
hypercycle

hypercycle

9.9
A system where molecules help each other make more of themselves in a cycle
  • noun
  • /ˈhaɪpərˌsaɪkəl/
  • Specialized
translation icon : hiperciclo
  • The concept of a hypercycle illustrates how interconnected reactions can lead to complex system formation in evolutionary theory.

Examples

  • In theoretical biology, a hypercycle describes a system where the products of reactions enhance each other's creation in a repeating cycle.

  • So you go from the hypercycle into competing groups of protocells, and those eventually make a prokaryote.

  • Researchers are studying how a hypercycle can help explain the origin of life through self-organizing chemical networks.

How Self-Sustaining

hypercycle
  • Specialized
9.9
autocatalysis
  • Specialized
9.7

Surface Forms

hypercycle singular
hypercycles plural

Morphology

hypercycle = cycle (opaque) = hyper + cycle

Although the term contains recognizable parts, the biochemical concept is a specialized technical coinage whose meaning is not recoverable from hyper- and cycle in a standard way.

Etymology

Hypercycle comes from the Greek parts hyper 'over' or 'beyond' and cycle 'circle' or 'loop', like in hyperactive and bicycle. In biology it names a loop of reactions where each product helps make the next, so the word shows a 'loop' that joins parts together and goes 'beyond' any single molecule.