The Assembly of Protocells (Science/Ethics alert: engineering new life forms)

Dialogue on Science, Ethics & Religion ^ | December 1, 2005 | American Association for the Advancement of Science

[Mrs. Don-o]

[We] will discuss efforts to assemble minimal self-replicating nanomachines from nonliving organic and inorganic matter.

These protocells do not necessarily look anything like life-as-we-know-it. For example, the current protocell design does not have a single biomolecule in common with a modern living cell and the protocell is also about a million times smaller than a modern cell.

This research is not concerned about the historical details of the origins of life, but more about how nonliving matter can self-organize into living matter. At the same time this work is likely to inform research about the origins of life on Earth as well as possible origins of life elsewhere.

If this research is successful and it becomes possible to make general self-replicating materials, this will provide the basis for a very powerful technology. It will be possible to engineer systems based on the same principles as living systems, which will be robust, autonomous, self-repairing, adaptive, and even self-replicating if necessary.

Such systems will be very different from watches, computers or cars of today. These are fragile, and if any of their parts break they must be repaired. In comparison, if the skin on your hand is scratched, it heals itself. Living technology will act in the same manner. Although such living technology will not appear for many years, it will come. With the appearance of this enabling technology a number of societal, ethical, and religious issues emerge. It is important to begin to give consideration to these issues now.

Keynote Speaker

Steen Rasmussen, Ph.D. Team Leader Self-Organizing Systems Los Alamos National Laboratory

Respondent

Peter Madsen, Ph.D. Executive Director Center for the Advancement of Applied Ethics and Political Philosophy Carnegie Mellon University

[Mrs. Don-o]

By going to the source URL, you can get information about attending this public lecture in DC. Sure wish I could.

What do you all think about the ethical, practical, political, and spiritual aspects of inventing and proliferating new life forms?

[Mrs. Don-o]

Ping away

[Frank Sheed]

http://www.impactlab.com/modules.php?name=News&file=print&sid=6519

He's creating artificial life it would appear. Not to worry! He will possibly engineer a virus-like beastie that will wipe out the entire earth but he could win the Nobel Prize the month before it happens.

Cheers!
Frank

[MHGinTN]

"It is important to begin to give consideration to these issues now." I wonder, from whence will come the living soul for these engineered things?... Oh well, the scientists in this realm probably don't believe the soul is anything more than the vagary of complexity, an artifact that is because the human machine is so complex. It never occurs to them that the conveying of 'life' status is an act of a much greater creator than they--these arrogant demigods--can ever aspire to obtain. Won't they be surprised when they have to create their own dirt and dust of the ground to be gods!