Coacervate

Coacervates are like little blobs that form when certain chemicals mix together in water. Imagine a bowl of water filled with colorful beads. When you sprinkle some salt on top, some of the beads might clump together and stick to each other, creating a little ball. This little ball is like a coacervate.

Coacervates are special because they can have different characteristics than the chemicals that formed them. For example, some coacervates can act like tiny little factories that make new molecules. Others can protect molecules from getting broken down by other chemicals in the water.

Scientists think that coacervates might have been an important part of how life began on Earth a long time ago. Just like how these little balls can protect and create new things, they might have helped the first living things on Earth to survive and grow.