Water plays a fundamental role in living organisms. Liquid water includes coherence domains (CD) where all molecules oscillate in unison in tune with a self-trapped electromagnetic field at a well-defined frequency. The coherent oscillations produce an ensemble of quasi-free electrons, able to collect noise energy from the environment and transform it into high-grade coherent energy in the form of electron vortices. This high-grade energy may activate the biomolecules resonating with the water CD. In this way, water CDs become dissipative structures in the sense of Prigogine and Froehlich, such that they are able to oscillate and coherence among them can be established. Thus, autocatalysis in living matter is made possible.