The line between life and not-life Slides created by Antonia Intze - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

University of Crete (UoC) Department of Chemistry XHM-109 Academic English and Chemistry Terminology

Slides created by Antonia Intze (1999)

A presentation based on the TED talk by Martin Hanczyc, London, Spring 2011:

The line between life and not-life

Non-living systems Living systems

Life has: (a) a body (b) a metabolism (c) inheritable information

experiments

evolve move and replicate

Protocell: chemical model of a living cell; Has lifelike properties.

“The synthesis of life, should it ever occur, will not be the sensational discovery which we usually associate with the idea” (Leduc).

Different protocell model: oil droplet with a chemical metabolism inside. The protocell can use energy.

This system has a body (oil droplet) and a metabolism, so it can use energy, move and locate food resources.

Protocell A Protocell B It can vibrate It can fuse Protocells A and B appear population-level behavior. Protocell AB (hybrid of protocell’s A and B) is more complex and can replicate itself.

Protocells are probably related to the origin of life on Earth. Uncontrolled chemical reactions produce a diverse mixture of organic compounds. (primordial ooze)

“Weird life” (Steve Benner, 2007)

System need to be: (a) in non-equilibrium state. (b)in liquid form. (c) able to make and break chemical bonds.