Buvome
Buvome is a fictional term used in speculative biology and complexity theory to describe the smallest functional unit capable of sustaining and propagating a simple ecosystem under resource-limited conditions. In this usage, a buvome functions as a self-contained, autocatalytic system that exchanges energy and matter with its surroundings while maintaining homeostasis. The term is not based on any established organism and is employed mainly as a thought experiment to explore emergent properties of minimal life-like systems.
The coinage of buvome is deliberately opaque, drawing on constructed linguistic roots to avoid conflating with
A buvome is described as comprising three core components: a basic energy-harvesting module, a core catalytic
Its value lies in simplifying complex system dynamics, allowing researchers and students to study how interaction
See also: autocatalytic set, protocell, minimal cell theory.