Scientists aim to create ‘inorganic life’

A team of researchers at the University of Glasgow however say they have demonstrated a new way of making inorganic-chemical-cells or iCHELLs.

“What we are trying do is create self-replicating, evolving inorganic cells that would essentially be alive. You could call it inorganic biology,” said Professor Lee Cronin, Gardiner Chair of Chemistry in the College of Science and Engineering.

The paper is published in the journal Angewandte Chemie.

The research is in its earliest stages, but it is entirely feasible, he said.

The cells can be compartmentalized by creating internal membranes that control the passage of materials and energy through them, meaning several chemical processes can be isolated within the same cell -- just like biological cells, according to the report.

The cells, which can also store electricity, could potentially be used in all sorts of applications in medicine, as sensors or to confine chemical reactions.

“The grand aim is to construct complex chemical cells with life-like properties that could help us understand how life emerged and also to use this approach to define a new technology based upon evolution in the material world -- a kind of inorganic living technology,” the professor said:

If successful, he said, this would give some incredible insights into evolution and show that it‘s not just a biological process.

“It would also mean that we would have proven that non carbon-based life could exist and totally redefine our ideas of design.“ (From news reports)