Fractals are indeed fascinating and ubiquitous in nature, appearing in various forms such as tree branches, river deltas, and the intricate spirals of Romanesco cauliflower. However, the recent discovery of a naturally occurring fractal on a molecular level has intrigued scientists worldwide.
Fractals, the complex, repetitive geometrical shapes, are found everywhere in our environment. These intricate structures exhibit self-similarity, meaning they appear identical on different scales. This characteristic is evident in the whirls of the Romanesco cauliflower, among other natural phenomena.
The spotlight of this discovery is a protein found in a specific type of bacterium, Synechococcus elongatus. This protein, named citrate synthase, has demonstrated an extraordinary ability to self-assemble into a fractal shape, specifically a Sierpiński triangle.
The Sierpiński triangle, named after the Polish mathematician Wacław Sierpiński, is a fractal attractive fixed set with the overall shape of an equilateral triangle, subdivided recursively into smaller equilateral triangles. Interestingly, the citrate synthase protein can link up to form this precise fractal shape when placed in water.
The fascinating discovery was made by evolutionary biochemist Georg Hochberg and his team. They reported that when the protein was placed in water, it linked up into triangles composed of smaller triangles, consisting of as many as 54 individual proteins, and potentially even more.
This discovery marks the first time a naturally occurring regular fractal has been observed on a molecular level. The previous instances of regular fractals were limited to synthetic molecules designed by scientists.
Despite the exciting discovery, the scientists were unable to identify any practical purpose for the pattern. They concluded that the pattern was likely an “evolutionary accident,” a phenomenon not uncommon in the assembly of proteins.
The fractal assembly of the citrate synthase protein has been likened to other complex structures that appear and disappear on evolutionary timescales. These structures sometimes serve a function, and other times they do not.
The discovery of the fractal assembling protein opens up new avenues for research in the field of fractal geometry and its applications. Scientists are keen to explore any potential uses of this phenomenon in various scientific disciplines.
