Life?:A Look at the Scientific Community’s Influence on the Definition of

LifeBy Alexander Beyl

Intro to LifeHumans have been trying to understand and classify life eversince they had the ability to question their surroundings. We now have a better understanding of life with the knowledge of evolutionary processes.The view of life has been continuously changing over time , and the advances of science seem to be causing a reevaluation of life once again.

ThesisThe continual innovation and progression of science and the recreation of life processes will eventually cause a paradigm shift in regards to the uniqueness of life and what should be considered alive.

Life’s DefinitionMany definitions of life exist in multiple areas of study.No definition is officially accepted as the correct definition.Many are incomplete and convoluted.Examples:

“the tendency to individuation” “a collection of phenomena which succeed each other during a

limited time in an organized body” “the two-fold internal movement of composition and decomposition,

at once general and continuous”

Adami’s IdeasChristoph Adami’s work with life’s definition began when NASA asked him to create a biosignature that could be used on the search for life on other planets.His idea transcended the confines of organic chemistry and focused on life processes.

The Usable DefinitionThe most usable definition of life is a list of attributes composed by NASA.Attributes:

Complex and organized Able to take in energy and use it for growth and reproduction Engaged in homeostasis Responsive to its surroundings Able to reproduce

Strange LifeA jellyfish that does not die- Turritopsis nutricula.

Single-celled organisms that live in the Earth’s most extreme environments- Archaea.

Some of Earth’s Other Strange Inhabitants

Viruses act alive when they are replicating, but they do not act alive when they are not replicating. Their definite classification has not been decided.

Crystals can act alive when they growand respond to their surroundings.

Genetic EngineeringAllows scientist to alter natural life

Spider Goats- given thegenes to produce spider silk.

Doctors could correctgenetic errors and prevent diseases and disorders.

Organizations like UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, will become increasingly important to regulate and restrict the inappropriate use of this technology.

Synthetic CellsAfter 15 years of research, Craig Venter and his team created cells with genetic codes written by humans.

The new species is called Mycoplasma mycoides.

It’s the only life form with a computer as a parent.

It has messages written in its genes. The ability to custom make organisms could lead to more effective vaccines and improved fuels.

The Intermediates-Cyborgs

Any organism with mechanical or synthetic parts can be considered a cyborg.

Advancements of prosthetic technology has led to appendages that function with the body through neural controls.

Stelios Arcadiou, a man with an ear growing from his arm, believes “technology is, and always has been, an appendage of the body”

Soul and ConsciousnessSome believe man-made life cannot be considered alive because it lacks a soul or consciousness.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia defines soul as “the vital, immaterial, life principle, generally conceived as existing within humans and sometimes within all living things, inanimate objects, and the universe as a whole.”

Ideas about the origin of consciousness range from the non-physical to the interaction of particles in quantum mechanics.

Because these are difficult to define and even more difficult to test, the attributes of life should be the only qualification for a living system.

Living Programs and Robots

The programs in Christoph Adami’s digital world replicate evolution nearly perfectly . The system is called AVIDA. Scientists and computer designers have realized the power and efficiency in the design of the brain.

The pursuit of more complex computers falls under the category of artificial intelligence. The AAAI defines AI as “the scientific understanding of the mechanism underlying thought and intelligent behavior and their embodiment in machines”

Artificial Neural NetworksIn order to understand the brain, Henry Markram downloaded the entire structure of the brain onto a computer.DARPA is funding several companies to develop artificial brains equivalent to mammalian brains.

IBM is one of the major companies receiving the funding. The ultimate goal of the project is to create a synthetic brain structurewith 10 billion neurons and 100 trillion synapses, consuming only one kilowatt of energy.

The progress of these projects shows how life’ssystems can be recreated through synthetic means.

The futureAs long as we can find benefits in living machines, their eventual existence will always be a possibility.

Although some might be cautious of a robot takeover, machines have already become intertwined into our society.

While life is still important and should be respected, many of life’s process have already been replicated by humans.

If a machine has all of the attributes of life, then it should be considered alive.

We may soon have to accept new, synthetic life forms and place them on Earth’s list of living organisms.

Life

Pictures Herd Animals: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Herds_Maasi_Mara_(cropped_and_straightened).jpgEvolution of Life: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Geological_time_spiral_-_sharper.pngGraphs on slide 5: http://talkminer.com/viewtalk.jsp?videoid=F17_KiAZOxg&q=Adami’s image: http://www.kgi.edu/news-and-events/news-stories/2010/news-story-prof-adami-to-speak-at-international-artificial-life-conference.htmlBacteria on slide 6: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:EscherichiaColi_NIAID.jpgPlants, animals and other eukaryotes on slide 6: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Eukaryota_diversity_2.jpgArchaea organisms on slide 6: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Halobacteria.jpgTurritopsis nutricula images: http://a-z-animals.com/blog/swarms-of-immortal-jellyfish/Volcanic Hotspring slide 7: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Grand_prismatic_spring.jpgFirst virus on slide 8: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Marburg_virus.jpgSecond virus on slide 8: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Tevenphage.svgCrystal on slide 8: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Amethist_quartz.jpegSpider Goats: http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/story/2012/03/29/ottawa-spider-goats-display-at-agriculture-museum.htmlCraig Venter: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Craigventer2.jpgCraig Venter’s cells: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/7762711/Synthetic-life-Dr-Craig-Venter-seeking-monopoly-claims-gene-pioneer.htmlAdvanced prosthetic: http://www.techradar.com/news/world-of-tech/meet-the-real-life-human-cyborgs-600543Stelios Arcadiou: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-487039/Artist-implants-ear-arm.htmlAVIDA logo: http://www3.uakron.edu/biology/moore/Pacos_homepagefiles/Links.htmlAAAI logo: http://www.aaai.org/home.htmlDARPA logo: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:DARPA_Logo.jpgComputer Chip: http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2011-08/first-generation-cognitive-chips-based-brain-architecture-will-revolutionize-computing-ibm-says

Final Robot Image: http://www.barringtonroundup.com/?p=246