在生命出现之前，地球上只有物质，那些无机的、死的“东西”。看似不可能地，生命却从这里萌芽。有没有可能它用了一种不同的化学组成？化学家李.克罗宁给生命下了一个简单而优雅的定义（任何可演化的物质），同时他使用了一种不含碳元素、可合成、复制和竞争的分子——“乐高积木”创造一个完全无机细胞，从而对这个问题作出了深入的探索。

李.克罗宁：让物质具有生命

Life may not be the cosmic miracle it seems, but a process as ordinary as star formation. By assembling simple inorganic molecules into cell-like structures, scientists have created containers that can store information and compete, all without a drop of carbon. A crystal garden can appear to grow and reproduce under the microscope, blurring the line between life and nonlife. Evolution, driven by survival of the fittest, could apply not just to biology but to all matter.