self sustaining chemical system

If we did discover something unprecedented, "we'd all start arguing" said Professor Davies, a theoretical physicist.
"The question would be whether this life was truly different, or whether there was a common precursor, a deep branch on the main tree of life.
"Personally, I'm only interested in establishing whether life happened more than once. If we find it has happened twice from scratch then its going to have happened all around the universe.

((This is amazing logic. Because it could happen it did.))

"The accepted definition of life is a molecule capable of Darwinian evolution, so we are trying to put together molecules that are capable of doing it."



Another way to determine what alternative life might look like is to try to invent it ourselves.
"We are announcing the first example of an artificial synthetic chemical system capable of Darwinian evolution," he told the conference. The molecule is essentially a modified version of our own DNA double helix - but with six "letters" in its genetic alphabet, instead of four.

"Remember - just because you are a chemical system which is self-sustaining and capable of Darwinian evolution, that doesn't mean that is the universal definition of life,"

((Ah life ! Modern life. Always up for a new redefinition of a word. Like the old deep magic, if you can find the true name of it you can control it. Gay. Family. Marriage. Horse poop. Justice. Honesty. Pig slop. The wise old magician never let his real name be known, that way if someone cast a spell on him using something other than his real name he could break the spell by reverting to his real name. Science Incorporated all over again ! Lets hide behind all the pseudonyms we can possibly find, that way we won’t be accountable … If we could just define gravity we could control it. If we can define electricity we can control it. If we can just define light we can control it. If we can just define violence we can control it. Ah poor Chimp he was on meds, that explains his rude behavior. Now we shall have a rash of court cases where the perpetrator gets off scotttt free because he or she was on meds. What am I thinking that is already the case … !

Moral. Define that one, it is even more elusive than defining life ! (unless you believe in absolutes)

“if it happened twice from scratch …” ‘I am a self sustaining chemical system capable of Darwinian evolution therefore I am!’ says no name. What I, Ian F, am interested in finding out is what “it” is ? ? If Darwinian evolution DID take place then there is no reason to define life because ‘it’ does not exist - I am nothing more than a random collection of random bits of nonentity in a random non existent environment which is not. Why do scientists of all people (wopsse connotation word there) why do scientists insist in using connotation words when they try to describe things to us. Why not just tell it like it is ? ie Life IS non Life in a random peculiar form that has not yet evolved – nor ever will – to the place where it sustains definition ! sorry about the ‘peculiar’ just couldn’t stop myself. connotative words are all that sustains a lot of peculiar people though they would even admit hating loving hating loving them. No wait which ones ? ? We can not use ‘fag’ but ‘married’ is more than OK … ))