Scientists Take First Step Towards Creating Inorganic Life

Scientists at the University of Glasgow say they have taken their first tentative steps towards creating 'life' from inorganic chemicals potentially defining the new area of 'inorganic biology'.

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/47aa1769a976.jpg[/atsimg]

Professor Lee Cronin, Gardiner Chair of Chemistry in the College of Science and Engineering, and his team have demonstrated a new way of making inorganic-chemical-cells or iCHELLS.

“What we are trying do is create self-replicating, evolving inorganic cells that would essentially be alive. You could call it inorganic biology.”

The cells can be compartmentalised by creating internal membranes that control the passage of materials and energy through them, meaning several chemical processes can be isolated within the same cell – just like biological cells.

The researchers say the cells, which can also store electricity, could potentially be used in all sorts of applications in medicine, as sensors or to confine chemical reactions.

The research into creating ‘inorganic life’ is in its earliest stages, but Prof Cronin believes it is entirely feasible.

Source

This research is a part of a project that aims to demonstrate that "inorganic chemical compounds are capable of self-replicating and evolving just as organic, biological carbon-based cells do." Sounds like one of the more ambitious projects I've heard of in a long while, if ever. I mean, we're talking about creating an entirely different life-form here, right?

The imagination can run wild in light of such news.

Implications and applications here are endless. Very cool.

www.bbc.co.uk... - BBC bakcup

reply to post by Droogie


wow
amazing news
my mind goes mad thinking about the f'd up stuff the military will probably do with it..if they didnt already know

S&F my friend...
This is the kind of news that makes me enjoy ATS... Things like this make the mind fly...
Imaging combining this with all we are learning about nanotech, AI, etc... The possibilities are endless...

reply to post by UniverSoul


Well, if there's any truth to the claim that the industrial military complex being years, if not decades ahead of the rest of us, you may be right.

reply to post by drakus


News like this, that's somewhat grounded in 'reality', are what really fascinates me. It makes the mind wonder about the fantastical and bizarre potential of what the future might hold.

So ... this is an inorganic organism? Scientists ought to speak english correctly in my veiw. This cell they have created, cannot be both an organism, and inorganic. If it is not an organism, its not life, nor even a baby step toward it.

Even if they make the cell out of silicone and mercury, if it comes out with functioning component analogues for the parts of a traditional cell, then it will automaticaly make any resultant bioform, organic. Its about how we define these terms.

reply to post by TrueBrit

The scientists did not write the article. Journalists did.

Originally posted by TrueBrit
So ... this is an inorganic organism? Scientists ought to speak english correctly in my veiw. This cell they have created, cannot be both an organism, and inorganic. If it is not an organism, its not life, nor even a baby step toward it.

Even if they make the cell out of silicone and mercury, if it comes out with functioning component analogues for the parts of a traditional cell, then it will automaticaly make any resultant bioform, organic. Its about how we define these terms.

I believe the confusion comes from the fact that when we started using terms like "organic" and "inorganic" there was a very clear set of rules (carbon-based, etc) that worked perfectly.
Nowadays the border between the "living" stuff and the inorganic world is getting thinner and thinner.

I think that the problem is that we see life as a "thing" when instead it is a "process".