Since we know life comes from other life, how could the first life have formed? Historically, large groups of humans have solved this puzzle by assuming there is an immortal creator who always existed and had no parents. A more potentially observable answer has been proposed by philosophers and scientists through the ages, the idea of abiogenesis: life forming spontaneously at least once from non-living components. By looking at the details and experimenting as researcher Jack Szostak has been doing, scientists may find the way, the secret formula for creating a life form. Creating a new simple form of life that responds to stimuli, eats, grows and reproduces in the lab from non-living material would be a groundbreaking achievement.

Researchers Edge Closer to Creating Artificial Life in the Lab

Scientists are making significant strides towards creating artificial life forms in laboratory settings, potentially revolutionizing our understanding of how life began on Earth and its implications for human survival.

Protocell Breakthroughs

Dr. Jack Szostak, a Nobel laureate and professor at Harvard Medical School, leads a team that has made remarkable progress in developing protocells – simple cell-like structures that could represent early forms of life[1]. These protocells consist of:

• A membrane made of fatty acids
• Genetic material (RNA or DNA) inside the membrane

Recent experiments have shown that these protocells can grow, divide, and even replicate genetic material under certain conditions[1][2]. This brings us closer to understanding how life may have originated on Earth billions of years ago.

Key Developments

Some of the most significant recent advancements include:

1. Membrane growth and division: Researchers have demonstrated how protocell membranes can grow and divide without complex protein machinery[2].
2. Nutrient uptake: Protocells can absorb essential molecules from their environment, mimicking how early life forms may have acquired nutrients[1].
3. Genetic replication: Simple genetic sequences can now be copied within protocells, though arbitrary sequence replication remains a challenge[3].

Video Lecture

A lecture posted Jan 11, 2012 gives details of how non-living cell like structures called vesicles, when shaken in the presence of various substances, change into filaments that divide and then reform into cell like structures. Some of this appears to mimic what we have observed in cell division.

Implications for Human Survival

Understanding the origins of life has profound implications for humanity’s long-term survival:

• Astrobiology: This research could help identify potential life forms on other planets, expanding our search for habitable worlds[4].
• Synthetic biology: Creating artificial life could lead to new biotechnologies for medicine, environmental remediation, and sustainable resource production[5].
• Existential risk mitigation: Deeper knowledge of life’s fundamental processes may help us protect and preserve life on Earth in the face of global challenges.

Future Directions

While significant progress has been made, several challenges remain:

• Developing protocells capable of evolving and adapting to their environment
• Creating self-sustaining metabolic processes within protocells
• Bridging the gap between simple protocells and more complex, modern-like cells

As research continues, we may soon witness the creation of the first truly artificial life form in a laboratory setting, marking a new chapter in our understanding of life itself.

Read More
^{[1] https://www.hhmi.org/news/researchers-build-model-protocell-capable-copying-dna
[2] https://www.harvardmagazine.com/2019/06/origin-life-earth
[3] https://origins.harvard.edu/pages/research-spotlight-jack-szostak
[4] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJ5jh33OiOA
[5] https://www.ibiology.org/sessions/session-1-origins-life-protocells-non-enzymatic-template-directed-rna-synthesis/
[6] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6120706/
[7] https://pme.uchicago.edu/news/life-drop-rain-new-research-suggests-rainwater-helped-form-first-protocell-walls
[8] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30181195/}