autorreproducirse

A technical term for something that reproduces or replicates itself without external agents — used in biology (organisms or cells that self-reproduce) and, more abstractly, in discussions of self-replicating machines or systems.

• Algunos organismos unicelulares se autorreproducen por división simple. — Some single-celled organisms self-reproduce by simple division.
• Los científicos investigan máquinas capaces de autorreproducirse. — Scientists are researching machines capable of self-replicating.
• El virus informático fue diseñado para autorreproducirse sin ser detectado. — The computer virus was designed to self-replicate without being detected.

Distinct from reproducirse alone, which generally involves the usual reproductive process — autorreproducirse specifically emphasizes doing so without external help, e.g. asexual reproduction or self-copying systems.