The process where an electrical circuit or magnetic field induces a change in itself, or in biology, where a cell or organism influences its own development or gene expression.
From Greek 'auto' (self) and Latin 'inductio' (leading in, bringing about). The term spans both physics (1890s) and developmental biology (20th century).
In physics, autoinduction explains why a switch creates a spark when you turn it off—the circuit creates its own opposing magnetic field. In biology, it's how embryos somehow 'know' what to become.
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