Selfpropagation

Self-propagation is the property of a system to reproduce or spread itself through its own activity, often via internal mechanisms that generate copies or moving fronts without requiring explicit external replication steps. It can arise from feedback loops, autocatalysis, or structural features that allow propagation to continue once initiated.

In biology, self-propagation covers vegetative reproduction in plants, such as runners, rhizomes, tubers, or bulb division, and cloning from tissues. Microorganisms propagate by binary fission or budding, enabling population growth without sexual recombination. Some organisms can spread through spores or vegetative fragments that detach and establish new individuals.

In computer science, self-propagating programs, including computer worms and certain automated agents, replicate across systems by exploiting vulnerabilities or unsecured channels. This process can be benign in controlled software distribution or dangerous when it enables rapid, uncontrolled infection. Many legitimate update mechanisms also rely on self-propagation concepts but are designed with safeguards.

In chemistry and physics, self-propagation appears as autowave or self-sustaining reaction fronts, such as combustion waves or autocatalytic reactions, where the product or heat generated by the reaction maintains the advance of the front.

In social and information contexts, ideas, memes, and innovations can propagate themselves through networks via feedback and imitation, sometimes achieving rapid, global diffusion without centralized direction.

Across domains, self-propagation highlights how systems generate copies or extend influence through internal dynamics, with implications for growth, control, and safety.