Name: The line between life and not-life
Uploaded: 2011-11-07T16:00:39Z
Duration: 14 min 20 s
Description: In his lab, Martin Hanczyc makes "protocells," experimental blobs of chemicals that behave like living cells. His work demonstrates how life might have first occurred on Earth ... and perhaps elsewhere too.

In his lab, Martin Hanczyc makes "protocells," experimental blobs of chemicals that behave like living cells. His work demonstrates how life might have first occurred on Earth ... and perhaps elsewhere too.

The line between life and not-life

Scientists have begun to dissolve the sharp line between living and non-living matter by creating artificial protocells that mimic life’s behavior. In the lab, simple mixtures of chemicals self-assemble into blobs that move, seek resources, and sometimes even replicate, all without DNA or complex machinery. Some of these protocells are made from messy, tar-like mixtures similar to Earth’s primordial conditions 4 billion years ago. These experiments suggest life’s origins may be more accessible and universal than once thought.