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This study develops a theoretical framework for active phase separation in biomolecular condensates, highlighting how non-Markovian reactions with delayed feedback can destabilize stationary droplets and induce self-propulsion. The findings reveal that when the memory time of reactions aligns with the turnover time, droplets can deform into polar states, leading to the formation of aligned flocks and complex traveling structures in systems with multiple droplets. This research establishes the significance of reaction memory as a control parameter, linking the dynamics of condensate remodeling to autonomous motility and collective behavior in biological systems.
Reaction memory transforms stationary biomolecular droplets into self-propelled, flocking entities, revealing a novel mechanism for collective behavior in cellular environments.
Biomolecular condensates are continually remodeled by biochemical reactions that can exhibit non-Markovian, history-dependent dynamics. We develop a theory of active phase separation with non-Markovian reactions and show that delayed reaction feedback destabilizes stationary droplets: when the memory time becomes comparable to the reaction turnover time, condensates deform and spontaneously acquire a polar, self-propelled state. In multidroplet systems, persistent memory wakes mediate alignment, producing polar flocks and, at higher concentrations, traveling labyrinths. These results establish reaction memory as a control parameter of active phase separation, linking condensate remodeling, autonomous motility, and collective organization, and suggest a possible route to flocking-like behavior within cells.
