Martin Hanczyc: The line between life and not-life

http://www.ted.com 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.

TEDTalks is a daily video podcast of the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes. Featured speakers have included Al Gore on climate change, Philippe Starck on design, Jill Bolte Taylor on observing her own stroke, Nicholas Negroponte on One Laptop per Child, Jane Goodall on chimpanzees, Bill Gates on malaria and mosquitoes, Pattie Maes on the "Sixth Sense" wearable tech, and "Lost" producer JJ Abrams on the allure of mystery. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design, and TEDTalks cover these topics as well as science, business, development and the arts. Closed captions and translated subtitles in a variety of languages are now available on TED.com, at http://www.ted.com/translate.

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[oweja]

@NaxNax96 There may always be a blind spot in the application of the concept of optimal decision-making. There is huge redundancy in the process of developing a more complex organism. Because our greatest obvious danger is ourselves, things in our society that influence our behaviour, are the most important to keep a bit of redundancy around.

[toddmorrow1]

It should be noted that Martin didn't actually walk on stage for this presentation. He sort of self-assembled and somehow spontaneously rose up out of the red dot in the carpet.

He wasn't on the agenda, the Ted Talks director does not know who he was, and he's never been seen before or since.

[freandwhickquest]

CREATIONISM SUCKS!

[saguhh00]

Hah - take that creationists! Autopoiesis of chemically formed, semi-permeable vesicles full of aminoacids and water in specifically complex reactions has been a fact since 1960!

[rock5719633]

protocell

[NaxNax96]

@oweja Evolution is indeed blind to rational though or any thought for that matter. Life is imperfect and mutations are constant, "evolution" is a retroactively assigned label to mutations with positive effects. Still, the way evolution is understood today the mechanism is far from optimized.

Also, rational thought by definition "gives an edge" as it aims for optimal decision making. The kind of rationality you've got in mind I'm assuming is 'faux rationality'. If you want, watch?v=tLgNZ9aTEwc

[rainjal]

9.26 Replication is amazing.

[oweja]

@BBAHUNTER Thanks. Evolution in itself is blind to rational thought unless rational thought always gives us the edge. And that is our belief, of course. The one event that disproves the hypothesis, will not see us standing around being 'right' about it either way. :) So we better keep society open enough to support 'odd' ideas in case they are our saviour. :)

[BBAHUNTER]

@oweja I am amused by your reply separating down to the components of the discussion. I also totally agree with you.

I'll contribute to cause: Every course of action one takes was caused by some kind of preceding factor.

[BBAHUNTER]

@menkaur When scientists are able to formulate a cell from scratch material and watch it grow as bacteria would in a petri dish, then talk to me. At most, they currently only see a few drops separate and recombine in a purely chemical fashion. Life is more than chemistry alone.