1. Plural of proteinoid; organic compounds resembling proteins, formed by the polymerization of amino acids, especially under conditions simulating early Earth environments.
Usage: scientific; biochemistry; often used in origin-of-life research

Examples

• Scientists synthesized proteinoids in the laboratory to study how life might have begun on early Earth.
• The proteinoids formed when amino acids were heated under conditions thought to exist billions of years ago.
• Researchers examined the catalytic properties of proteinoids to understand primitive biochemistry.
• These proteinoids demonstrated some enzyme-like activity, suggesting a possible pathway to early metabolism.
• The discovery of proteinoids provided experimental support for theories about abiogenesis.